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Minister pushes for super-fast broadband
(26-11-07) - Industry leaders are meeting with the Government today to discuss how to go about developing a next generation broadband network in the UK.
Although more than 50 per cent of homes now have a broadband connection, averaging 4Mb download speeds, the UK is in danger of lagging behind countries such as France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the US, who are all developing fibre networks capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mb.
Stephen Timms, Minister for Competitiveness, said: “We need to be discussing how we can put this new network into place, because delay could be a barrier to the future success of our economy.”
As well as decisions on the type of technology to be used, and timescales for developing a super-fast broadband network, the representatives will discuss with Mr Timms who will be expected to foot the bill for any proposed fibre network, which is estimated to cost between £7 billion and £15 billion.
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “Many consumers are looking to the rollout of BT’s 21st Century Network, which will begin next year and will offer speeds of up 24Mb, to improve speed and reliability.
“However, this won’t be complete until 2011 and even then those who live far from their exchange will have no chance of receiving 24Mb. By that time, countries that are now working on fibre networks will be far ahead of the UK.
“A lot of people are not yet sure what they would do with such speeds, but as internet TV services such as the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4oD grow in popularity, people will notice their slow connections and traffic management far more.”
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