UK broadband coverage looks set to improve dramatically after the communications minister called for all Brits to have access to connections delivering speeds of 2Mb or above.

Lord Carter's proposal ties in with a suggested universal service obligation (USO) which would require BT (and KCom in Hull) to provide the opportunity of the broadband service to every household and business in the country.

In an address to the House of Commons, media secretary Andy Burnham explained that the vision could mark a groundbreaking new chapter in British communications.

"We are developing plans to move towards a historic universal service commitment for broadband and digital services to include options up to 2Mb per second, building on the approach to postal services and telephone services in centuries past," he said.

As much as 99 per cent of the country now has access to some form of broadband internet service, according to BT.