Alistair Darling gave his forthright support for improvements to broadband services across the UK in his eagerly-awaited Budget speech this week.

The chancellor stressed that universal access to superfast broadband will be key to ensuring that the UK remains a major international player in the years ahead.

"The UK has the potential to be a digital world leader," Mr Darling said.

"It needs high-speed broadband for rural areas as well as urban - it must not be limited to the well-off."

In his Budget announcement, the chancellor confirmed government plans to roll out superfast broadband access to 90 per cent of UK households by 2017.

Earlier this week, telecoms regulator Ofcom called for new measures to speed up the roll-out of superfast broadband across the UK.

It proposed that fibre lines operated by leading broadband provider BT should be opened up to other companies in order to benefit consumers.

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