UK gets broadband funding boost

In his autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced £5 billion of spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and broadband networks, BBC reports.

£100 million of that is set to boost broadband coverage in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

The statement comes at a time when the UK and Europe face a worsening economic climate, so it is reassuring that broadband and mobile phone connectivity still very much feature in the government's budget plans, TechRadar notes.

"We will overhaul the digital infrastructure [of the UK]," explained Osborne.

The increased investment will accelerate the government's plans to bring super-fast broadband to 90% of the UK population, while also increasing mobile phone coverage to 99%, The Telegraph writes.

Companies such as BT and Virgin will be able to bid for money to improve wireless or fixed-line coverage in cities, in a bid to create 'hubs' that will drive economic growth and offer speeds of 80Mbps to 100Mbps.