29 December 2008
The government must invest more in fibre optic broadband if the UK is to remain competitive, it has been claimed.
Professor Christopher Bishop, chief scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge, said the UK is lagging behind other countries in this area.
He insisted there could be serious consequences for business, education and healthcare, among other sectors, if copper phone cables are not replaced by fibre.
As well as bringing "long-lasting improvements to the nation's infrastructure", investment in fibre broadband would stimulate the economy in the short-term, he stressed.
"We could do no better than rewire the nation with fibre optics," Professor Bishop remarked, pointing out that such a project should be an urgent one.
Research carried out by Point Topic suggests that over four million UK homes and businesses could be using high-speed fibre broadband within he next five years.
This accounts for around 20% of all broadband lines in the UK by the end of 2013.