IET Name Broadband Connectivity the Greatest Engineering Innovation

A new survey commissioned by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), which was conducted on 2,011 adults aged 16-75 in Great Britain by Ipsos Mori, has revealed that 53% of respondents view broadband Internet connectivity as the greatest engineering innovation of the last decade.

Apparently the nearest other contenders for the title were Smartphones (10%) and Satellite navigation (10%), while on demand television and Android Smartphone apps came joint bottom of the list with just 1% of the vote.

Prof Will Stewart of the IET said:

“Engineering and technology is everywhere. All of our most recent technology innovations are the result of engineering projects: social media, tablet computers, contactless payment technology are just a few examples.

Not too long ago, superfast broadband was a future vision for a handful of engineers. Today it is available to almost three quarters of UK homes, enriching our lives and broadening our horizons in ways that we could only dream of until recently, and yet we all now take for granted. And the technology behind this vital infrastructure is improving all the time, promising all kinds of exciting new potential for the future.”

Naturally we’re inclined to agree with the outcome, although on the other hand the definition for “broadband” Internet connectivity remains quite vague and it could thus be said to have been around since before the start of the last decade. Similarly satellite navigation has been around for quite a long time too (i.e. GPS was developed in 1973 and slowly became mainstream during the mid 90’s).