bassethound
Forum Supporter ,
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised that Britain will have the fastest broadband speeds in Europe by 2015.
The Conservative MP announced the implementation of a programme that will bring internet speeds of between 80 and 100 Mbps to the UK within three years.
He said: "Although we have loosely defined super-fast as greater than 24 Mbps, I have also introduced a programme for ultra-fast broadband in our cities that will offer speeds of 80-100 Mbps and more.
"We will continue to develop policy to ensure that the highest speeds technology can deliver are available to the largest number of people here in the UK."
Ofcom last week revealed that the UK's average broadband speed has seen year-on-year gains of around 20% thanks to super-fast packages from providers such as BT and Virgin Media.
Hunt went on to outline plans to bring these speeds to rural areas, where broadband speeds lag behind those of big cities, through the development of refined mobile and satellite services.
"Our working assumption must therefore be that the preferred method of going online will be a mobile device - whether linked to high speed wireless in buildings or networks outside them," he added. "But that in order to cope with capacity, we will need to get that mobile signal onto a fibre backbone as soon as possible.
"So no false choice between mobile or fixed line, between fibre or high speed wireless: all technologies - including satellite - are likely to have a part to play, and our approach must be flexible enough to harness them all."
The MP claims that his strategy will help the UK become "Europe's technology hub" offering "the best of Hollywood and Silicon Valley" in one territory.
The Conservative MP announced the implementation of a programme that will bring internet speeds of between 80 and 100 Mbps to the UK within three years.
He said: "Although we have loosely defined super-fast as greater than 24 Mbps, I have also introduced a programme for ultra-fast broadband in our cities that will offer speeds of 80-100 Mbps and more.
"We will continue to develop policy to ensure that the highest speeds technology can deliver are available to the largest number of people here in the UK."
Ofcom last week revealed that the UK's average broadband speed has seen year-on-year gains of around 20% thanks to super-fast packages from providers such as BT and Virgin Media.
Hunt went on to outline plans to bring these speeds to rural areas, where broadband speeds lag behind those of big cities, through the development of refined mobile and satellite services.
"Our working assumption must therefore be that the preferred method of going online will be a mobile device - whether linked to high speed wireless in buildings or networks outside them," he added. "But that in order to cope with capacity, we will need to get that mobile signal onto a fibre backbone as soon as possible.
"So no false choice between mobile or fixed line, between fibre or high speed wireless: all technologies - including satellite - are likely to have a part to play, and our approach must be flexible enough to harness them all."
The MP claims that his strategy will help the UK become "Europe's technology hub" offering "the best of Hollywood and Silicon Valley" in one territory.
