The government has pledged to deliver superfast business broadband services to up to 90 per cent of UK firms by 2015.

Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt told attendees of the Race Online event in London last week that the majority of companies should have access to 25 Mbps services over the next four years, with the remainder of the country having to make do with two Mbps for a while longer.

"If we press ahead with expansion of superfast capabilities, then we can put the UK in the global fastlane," Mr Hunt commented. "If we fail to do so then we apply a handbrake to growth."

"Now local authorities need to step up to the plate by bringing forward their own plans setting out how they will deliver this level of ambition," he added.

Mr Hunt continued that the government now needs to set aside sufficient funds in order to see these bold claims come to fruition, with local authorities key to the delivery of superfast broadband services.

Indeed, authorities will be at the forefront of planning for these upgrades, while the involvement of both local and national internet service providers will be integral to the success of the operation over the coming years.

Clodagh Murphy, director of Eclipse Internet, recently argued that demand for broadband services continues to be strong across the UK, with rural areas in particular looking to make use of new superfast services.

Ms Murphy noted that small businesses are now working alongside larger partners - such as BT - to help deliver these services in a timely fashion.

Overall, Mr Hunt's new scheme could deliver many of these improvements for rural dwellers, with the project being funded by a £530 million development budget that is being made available to councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships across the UK.
 

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