UK Government to investigate path to next generation broadband
Think your pitifully slow “nowhere near up to eight meg” broadband is a joke? You may be vaguely encouraged that the Government is starting to look at how we move Britain into truly fast, “next generation” broadband.
The Business and Competitiveness Minister, Shriti Vadera, launched the independent review on Friday. It will look at the importance of 100Mbps+ broadband to British businesses, and what the potential barriers are to achieving those kind of speeds.
“The way we will do business, access many government services, as well as information and entertainment, will change beyond recognition over our lifetime. New technologies will push the boundaries of today’s communications infrastructure,” she said. “We need to prepare the way for the UK to adopt groundbreaking new technologies to ensure that we do not get left behind – competitively or technologically.”
The review will look at how telecoms companies and content providers can collaborate, whether the public sector should be investing heavily in creating the new infrastructure, and how to provide incentives for companies to invest in the new technology while remaining profitable.
BT and Virgin Media, among others, have already begun trials of high-speed networks in selected towns and regions, but it’s going to take a lot more work — and money — to roll that out to the nation. Don’t hold your breath waiting for fibre-optic cable to come into your home, unless you’ve a lot of cash you’d like to throw at BT.
From Government News Network (via The Register)
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