The Coronvirus pandemic has certainly put a spotlight on just how important a high-quality internet connection really is, as parents and children turn to digital means to continue their work and learning from home.
In a typical household there could be two people trying to work from home and one or more children trying to continue their education using online resources.

Coronavirus has led to 46 US states closing their doors for the foreseeable future impacting nearly 55 million students. Students are turning to E-Education to assist them in continuing their education and thankfully there is a whole host of apps and online resources available to school children as well as the ability for the student to link to school servers for further resources.

The use of conferencing apps such as Zoom are encouraging face to face interaction through virtual classrooms, and even the toddlers are taking advantage of this with virtual preschool classes to keep them entertained with play dates, music and yoga, all essential parts of a child’s development. However, the benefit of E-Education can only prevail through a fast internet connection, a slow connection results in latency and frustration, discouraging the user to continue to try to use this important resource.

It is inspiring how in this time of a global pandemic businesses have turned to or have enhanced their online presence to keep their business or brand at the forefront of people’s minds in providing creative online classes and tutorials to best capitalize on a bad situation.

For some students, school could be the only opportunity they have to get online. According to the New York Times, approximately three million children do not have internet access as a result of them being in a rural area where internet service providers fail to supply or because of digital poverty, a sad prospect for those in isolation for the foreseeable future.

Of course, it’s not just at times like this that a strong internet connection is important, there are also snow days, a regular occurrence for some states which results in households working and learning from home.

Our CEO Ben Bawtree Jobson recently joined an online discussion with Broadband Breakfast on the importance of universal broadband in the age of the Coronavirus which is full of interesting conversation and details how SiFi Networks is delivering superfast internet to cities across the US.