‘Modern industrial policy’ by broadband

Twenty cities in the UK will be linked to fast broadband at a cost of £150 million as part of a “modern industrial policy” outlined in the Budget.

The government is investing £100m in 10 large “super-connected cities” that will benefit from the fastest broadband and Wi-Fi speeds available in the UK. These are Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle. By 2015, 1.7 million households and 200,000 businesses will have access to “ultrafast” coverage in “high growth” areas, with high-speed wireless broadband available for 3m residents, the government said. However, there was no mention of the auction of the spectrum that will enable superfast mobile broadband, which is still expected this year in spite of some discontent about the process among mobile operators.