The UK government has announced further details of its long-term plan to improve the country’s technology infrastructure and in turn stimulate economic growth. In the last few years, the UK's economy has been blighted by uncertainty and has, to some extent, been held back by slow internet speeds.
In a bid to address these problems, the government has announced that it is to ensure that ten of the largest cities throughout the country will soon see superfast broadband. It has committed as much as £144 million to the project, £25 million of which will go to London.
The funding is set to be used to build city-wide networks that will provide homes and businesses with speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second). In fact, the government has stated that its ambition is to host the fastest internet speeds in Europe by 2015. And assuming the ambitious plan does come to fruition, the UK economy sees sure to see a major boost, too.
"These ten cities have produced ambitious and comprehensive plans, which will turn them into digital leaders, and give their local economies a real boost," explained New Culture Secretary Maria Miller. "The new investment will help put these cities at the centre of the digital stage, competing for jobs and investment with the best in the world."
Once the plans are implemented, an additional 230,000 residential and 55,000 businesses, in the UK will have access to superfast broadband.
