Chris Smedley, Chief Executive of Geo, told ISPreview:

“The Government is keen for the digital network to become the backbone of the UK economy. Yet, the delivery of fast broadband to consumers is just one part of that. We must also consider what ‘UK plc’ can do to lift the country out of recession. How will the Government drive initiatives to help support these businesses with the right regulation, network infrastructure and services to deliver on it?

The Digital Britain report has set out some new aspirations for the delivery of high speed broadband to consumers across the UK, many of whom remain stuck on low speed networks or without any access to broadband services at all. However, the same remains true for many businesses that are using outdated network infrastructure which denies them the efficiencies they need to compete effectively.

At the same time, there’s a misconception amongst UK businesses that investing in more than [1Gbps] of bandwidth is a costly ‘too much, too soon’ deal leading to fundamentally flawed purchasing decisions. The pressure to control, or reduce, spending means UK businesses are trying to operate effectively on limited network bandwidth.

Businesses in the Far East are growing healthily on a ‘high-fibre’ diet, whilst many UK enterprises are making do with the scraps available on old or highly congested communications networks, and paying more for the privilege."