Press release

Broadband boost will help UK to catch up with other countries

29 November 2011

Better broadband networks in 10 cities across the UK are being promised by the government.

In his autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced £5bn of spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and broadband networks. £100 million of that sum is set to boost broadband coverage in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. A further six cities will be identified later.

The commitment has been welcomed by Europe’s largest engineers’ body, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Naomi Climer, IET Vice President said: “This announcement is good news for improving UK business productivity and closing the digital divide.

“Improved broadband will help the UK to build on its heritage of world class creative content and applications. It’s a step in the right direction to catch-up with the capacity in other countries such as Korea, Singapore and Japan.”

Notes to editors: