Government To Set New Targets For Broadband Britain
The Government is planning to set wide-ranging new targets for the take-up of high-speed internet services following warnings that it cannot afford to be complacent in its drive towards enabling a broadband Britain.
The Broadband Stakeholder Group has today published a report urging the Government not to relax its push to get consumers online, when its current target of making the UK the most advanced broadband market among G7 nations expires next year.
The group, which comprises telecoms companies, consumers and local authorities, acknowledges that significant progress has been made towards these initial goals, but emphasises that clear milestones need to be reached by 2010.
E-commerce Minister, Stephen Timms, welcomed the report and insisted that a new target for the take-up and use of broadband internet services would be set this year, along with an extensive period of consultation with the industry.
He said: “The Broadband Stakeholder Group is right to say that there remains much to be done. The widespread adoption and use of broadband is key to further improving UK business productivity and competitiveness.”
The influential report shows that the current 2005 target has been successful in stimulating action from both the Government and the private sector. However, it lists a range of challenges for the next phase of the development of broadband Britain.
These challenges include encouraging investment in next generation broadband infrastructures and services, developing new broadband environments, and bridging the digital divides to universal adoption.
Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, said: “The challenge is to meet the growing expectations of both consumers and business as they adopt, adapt, and absorb broadband into their daily lives and make sure that we build a thriving and sustainable broadband market in the UK – this needs to be the target for the next phase beyond 2005.”
Broadband uptake is increasing at a rate of 40,000 a week and the latest figures from Oftel show that the number of UK households and small businesses with a high-speed internet connection recently passed the key 3 million milestone.
This rapid growth has been driven by a steady increase in the number of high-speed internet services on offer, along with the fact that retail prices for broadband products are significantly lower than in the US and Germany (see UK Broadband Connections Pass Key 3 Million Mark).
A recent study from Forrester Research suggests that broadband internet access will be installed in 50 million European homes by 2008, representing almost 60% of the online population at that time.
Broadband Stakeholder Group: 020 7395 6728 www.broadbanduk.org
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