UK orders broadband future review

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From BBC News, Business

UK orders broadband future review
The government has said it will review the future of broadband internet in the UK amid calls that it should help firms pay for installing new infrastructure. It said it wants a better understanding of how to pave the way for moving to "next generation broadband networks".
The review will be carried out by the former chief executive of telecoms firm Cable & Wireless, Francesco Caio.
An increasing number of consumers and firms are using broadband services and new, high-capacity cables are needed.
Left behind?
The review has been ordered by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
According to the industry, the current telecoms infrastructure cannot cope with the increase in demand for services such as downloads of films, videos and music.
The review will report back to ministers and Chancellor Alistair Darling in the autumn.
"We need to prepare the way for the UK to adopt groundbreaking new technologies to ensure that we do not get left behind - competitively or technologically," said Business and Competitiveness Minister Shriti Vadera.
Last April, the Broadband Stakeholder Group, a government advisory body, warned that the government had two years to find ways of boosting investment in the next generation of broadband connections.
France and Germany are already trialling broadband services with much faster download speeds than anything offered in the UK.