It's emerged that the minister for competitiveness, Stephen Timms, is to address the 'Broadband Stakeholder Group' (BSG) tonight. During the meeting he is expected to signal the government’s willingness to consider limited public intervention aimed at boosting next-generation broadband development.

Some months ago the BSG warned that the UK risked falling behind other countries unless we developed faster and more flexible broadband technologies. Though Timms isn't likely to throw wads of cash at the problem, he is expected to outline ways to spur private-sector investment.

Much of the technological talk has typically centred on 50 to 100Mbps Fibre To The Home or Curb (FTTx) style services, although it’s worth remembering that there are other methods that might be pursued.