Broadband has replaced "dial up" internet connection, like the CD replaced vinyl. It is far faster and always on, making surfing the internet a far removed experience from the dial up "crackle, hiss and wait".

But there are still about 3m predominantly rural homes in the UK which are unable to receive a broadband service at present.

Instead they still rely on super-slow dial-up service to connect to the web.

These so called broadband "notspots" are a major irritation for the homes in question and a big policy challenge for the government, which is committed to providing up to 2Mbps (Megabites per second) broadband access for all by 2012.

Notspots exist as the great majority of broadband customers access broadband via the DSL (copper wire) broadband network. And with the DSL broadband technology, customers need to be within 4 km of their local telephone exchange in order to get a broadband service with speeds of 2Mbps or more. And if they live over 5 km from the exchange they are unlikely to be able to receive broadband at all.

But all speeds are "up to" and vary depending on how many users are online at the same time (a phenomenon known as contention). At busy times, speeds will slow drastically, so that an up to 2Mbps service may only deliver 0.25 Mbps for example just when you want to use the internet most.

Ofcom has recently published data which shows that on average broadband users receive 57per cent of the advertised up to broadband speed. So an up to 2 Mbps broadband service is likely to deliver you an average of just over 1 Mbps.

Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of Simplifydigital.co.uk notes:

"Broadband access in rural areas is a huge problem as the web is so key for kids' schooling, running businesses and simply staying in touch with the world. A dial-up internet connection is simply not a viable solution for many of the estimated 3 million homes that cannot currently receive a broadband connection."

But why are broadband speeds important? Simply put, your broadband speed will determine how fast that you can download stuff from the internet. Viewing web pages requires data to be downloaded to your computer. Simple web surfing and emailing uses relatively little data, but if you want to view video content, which is appearing on many sites (including the Telegraph online), it requires faster speeds to see a good quality picture. So regular users of BBC iPlayer, for example really rely on adequate broadband speeds. So too do families with multiple users (e.g. kids) who are downloading lots of content.

The Government has committed to providing up to 2 Mbps (Megabites per second) broadband access for all by 2012, but this is setting the hurdle very low. 2 Mbps is the bare minimum today, and as people's web habits change so fast, it will seem like a snail's-pace come 2012.

So what should you do if you are in a notspot and are currently not able to receive a broadband service at your address?

Realistically you have two options:
If you do not want to settle for a slow and clunky dial-up connection which will remain a very frustrating experience, you can:
- consider a mobile broadband service, though this needs a 3G mobile signal to work well and so may also not be available in your area mobile broadband does not require a home phone line as it uses the mobile phone network accessed via a special "dongle";
- consider satellite broadband from a company like Tariam though the set up cost is high.

Unfortunately, the options for rural households who cannot currently receive a broadband connection are pretty limited. Mobile broadband could provide a solution if you are lucky enough to be in a 3G mobile phone area. The other option is a satellite broadband provider like Tooway, which provides a good broadband service, but the installation cost is high.

In the medium term, notspots may become a thing of the past as there are other broadband technologies in development which could overcome the problem. For example is developing a technology called BET (Broadband Enabling Technology) which it hopes will solve the problem by extending the broadband "range" from 5 km to 12 km.

BET can provide broadband speeds between 1 and 2Mbps for notspot homes currently saddled with dial-up and BT has stated that with financial support from the government they could roll out the technology to bring broadband to every home in the UK by 2012.