Internet blow hits rural businesses (From Gazette & Herald)

Internet blow hits rural businesses

Rural communities in Ryedale have lost their internet connection after a European satellite provider froze its services across Europe.

Villages near Helmsley including Hawnby, Riveaulx, Nunnington and Old Byland have been affected by the shut down of the Netherlands-based company Aramiska last Friday.

The business provided high-speed internet access and broadband services via two-way satellite technology.

Among those affected is Sally Robinson, who runs the highly-successful online lingerie business AmpleBosom.com from her family farm in Old Byland.

Since most of her orders are made online, the shutdown was a huge shock.

Staff are now relying on an old dial-up connection to check orders, and phoning customers rather than using email. ''It feels so old-fashioned trying to ring people," she said.

"And the dial-up connection is very slow, especially when you only have one and there are six of you working."

She has tried to contact Ehotspot, the UK-based internet company which used Aramiska to provide satellite links, and got an answer phone message telling her to wait to be contacted.

A message on its website announced that Aramiska had gone into liquidation.

Mrs Robinson added: "You get a flat tyre on your bike and you fix it, but this is just a problem like no other. Not knowing is the worst part."

She said a large proportion of the village had been affected. "Some of them are domestic users and there are other businesses too.

''Many farmers do a lot of their documentation online, and we have an author in the village who uses it, as well as someone involved in international trade, and that's just in our village," she said.

Updated: 09:58 Wednesday, February 01, 2006