Minister calls for broadband action

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The UK is at risk of falling behind the rest of the world in high-speed broadband, Stephen Timms has said in his first speech as Minister of Competitiveness.

In a speech to the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), Timms said other countries are investing more in their broadband plans.

"When I became e-commerce minister five years ago, the UK was neck and neck with Croatia on broadband availability and use," said Timms. "Together, thanks in no small measure to the work of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, we fixed that problem and put Britain in a leading position. However, today we face a new challenge. Other countries are starting to invest in new, fibre based infrastructure, delivering considerably higher bandwidth than is available in the UK today."

The minister said he considered telecommunications infrastructure as one of his highest personal priorities, because it is key to staying competitive globally. With that in mind, he announced a summit later this year to discuss what public intervention might need to happen. "That is why I have decided to chair a high level summit later this year to consider the circumstances that might trigger public sector intervention, the form that intervention might take and at what level it might sensibly take place," he said. "I want it to be an open exchange, to bring together key people from Government, from Ofcom and from industry."

The chairman of the BSG said the UK must find a way to encourage investment in broadband infrastructure. "We're not looking to government for all of the solutions, but we are looking for ministerial leadership," said Kip Meek. "Communications infrastructure is a key enabler of competitiveness. The evolution of the UK's broadband infrastructure must be prioritised by government."

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