UK Government fails to provide world's cheapest broadband

An attempt by the British government to provide the world's cheapest broadband access has failed. As The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk reports, at the height of the dot-com boom, Tony Blair promised that Britain would leapfrog other G7 countries to become the most competitive provider of high-speed internet access by this year. The government had hoped to make the UK, which had fallen behind its European rivals, the "best place in the world for e-business". It contended that broadband would help boost productivity and competitiveness. However, following the release of a new study by Ovum yesterday, ministers have conceded that the target has been missed. The study, commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry http://www.dti.gov.uk , found that in terms of choice and price the UK was placed third behind Japan and Canada.