The need for high-speed broadband has now hit the mainstream say experts

During a recent seminar in Westminster an industry expert advised attendees that the need for higher speed broadband access in the UK was no longer seen as the “preserve of geeks and cyber visionaries” and for the future of the country should be something that is both attainable and essential in everyday life.

Those attending the recent Westminster eForum keynote seminar called Broadband for All? were told that the latest publication of the Digital Britain report, which was released last month, is something that the industry should be celebrating, according to Ofcom’s partner for strategy and market development, Peter Phillips.

During the early stages of the delivery of new high-speed broadband services Phillips advised that it would be important to maintain a certain level of focus on the task ahead, although he said that both the British public and the mainstream media now accepted high-speed broadband services in the UK as a necessity and that these services would need to be addressed immediately.

He went on to add “I think it is important that we collectively keep an eye on the medium-term goal, to make sure we create the right circumstances for the next generation of superfast broadband capable of delivering much higher speeds.”

The perception of broadband services as a niche product that was only of use to enthusiasts that were hungry for new technology has, over the last five years changed drastically to something that is now viewed by many as a necessary if not essential part of the home and is likely to continue to do so, said Phillips.

The consideration of new WiMAX technologies, the consideration of communities resisting participation in the digital switchover and public service delivery over the internet was also talked about alongside the discussion of the proposals by the government to provide 2Mbps broadband to every UK household during the recent Broadband for All? conference that took place at London’s Adelaide House.