Success of the government's plans to provide 2Mb broadband to the whole of the UK by 2012 will depend on pricing, it has been suggested.

According to a survey of consumers by ispreview.co.uk, affordability (48.3 per cent) will be the most important factor affecting the 'universal service commitment' after speed.

Other issues identified by respondents were the flexibility of data allowances (25.5 per cent), latency performance (16.5 per cent) and upload speeds (9.5 per cent).

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that the vast majority of people (83.7 per cent) feel the UK government's target to guarantee delivery of 2Mb is too slow.

Fibre-optic broadband was considered the best technology by which to extend 2Mb broadband to rural areas (53.8 per cent), followed by WiMax (17.2 per cent), 3G mobile broadband (16.5 per cent) and satellite (12.2 per cent).

"It's clear from the results that consumers do not wish to be short-changed by expensive, unreliable (fluctuating speeds) or inflexible 'quick-fix' solutions, especially with remote and rural residents often existing on lower incomes," the website said.

Last week, the Essex branch of the Federation of Small Businesses suggested that 2Mb broadband will not be sufficient to meet the needs of businesses in the county.