Broadband Britain: how fast can we go?

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“The service you are requesting is not yet available in your area. Please try again later.” These words, or those like them, are not something you want to read if you are trying to order a faster broadband connection.

The announcement made this week by culture and media secretary Jeremy Hunt will at least help some communities avoid those dreaded words, even if proponents of faster broadband argue Government help is not going far enough. And even with the new, £830m investment, the UK will continue to lag behind European competitors such as The Netherlands and Sweden, when it comes to access to genuine, high-speed services.

There are reasons why the Dutch and the Scandinavians have a head start, however, and it is not just down to politics.

Although community-led high-speed broadband projects are common in parts of Sweden, so are mixed use commercial, retail and residential developments that make it easier for these plans to pay their way.

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