The Digital Britain time warp |
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| Technology | |
| Written by Roberta Murray | |
| Thursday, 18 June 2009 | |
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FSB warns 2mbps is not enough - SMEs needed more from the Digital Britain report. While welcoming the call for universal access to fast broadband the Federation of Small Business (FSB) has said SMEs need more than an expected 2mbps committed to in the Digital Britain report announced yesterday. The FSB went as far as saying the UK is in fact in a time warp.John Wright, National Chairman Federation of Small Businesses, said: “The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) welcomes the Government’s commitment to ensure universal access to fast broadband, but warns the expected 2mbps by 2012 lacks ambition and shows the UK is in a time-warp. “Research by the FSB shows that a third of small businesses already have 2mbps broadband speed, yet struggle to do core, day-to-day business activities. One in five small businesses rely on the internet for up to half of their annual turnover, yet simple tasks such as emailing, marketing, buying and selling, are time-consuming because their broadband speeds are letting them down. “The online world is crucial to small business development, especially for firms in rural Britain where businesses have been waiting for years for promised Government action to deal with the ‘notspots’ - where there is no broadband access. “By 2012, £1 in every £5 will come from online commerce, but if small businesses are to compete, the Government must take bolder action. Around 60 per cent of small businesses want a minimum broadband speed of 8mbps. But with Japan leading the way, making high speed broadband of 90mbps available to everyone, the FSB urges the Government to do more. “Small businesses are ready to play their part. Now the Government needs to step up and take the country into a future when UK businesses are internationally competitive.”
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