Government boost for broadband

Gareth Kloet, Head of Utilities at Confused.com comments: "Mandelson pledging to invest £1billion in the UK's digital infrastructure is fantastic news for those wanting to get online in rural and hard to reach areas. This move will allow up to 90% of the country to benefit from superfast internet, bringing new opportunities for homes and businesses.

The consultation paper highlighted 3 key areas where this investment will be effective, naming telemedicine, teleworking and cloud computing. The ability to use video conferencing will be beneficial to those working from home and small businesses and could also prove effective when it comes to helping the environment as ultimately this facility could lead to less travel and therefore less congestion. It also opens up a host of options when it comes to online storage and file sharing.

The internet is now central to everyday life, with services available online that are not accessible anywhere else.  We are significantly behind our European counterparts when it comes to speed and these steps to rectify it indicate that the government are starting to correctly regard this as a priority.  With companies choosing to go exclusively online, the increased breadth of available resources, the internet hold on the nation is destined to go from strength to strength and it is important to get everyone up to speed to reap the benefits.

Whilst these plan are being put into place, for those who are unable to access high speed internet via traditional means or are considering upgrading and simply shopping for a better deal, then there are options available today."