Experts are predicting that VoIP telephony solutions stand to benefit from advances in the UK's broadband network.

The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) said that as demand for high-quality online TV grows, broadband providers will increasingly warm to the idea of upgrading their connections.

Countries such as South Korea, France and Germany have already begun investing in ultra-fast 100 megabit broadband networks, capable of streaming up to a dozen high-definition TV channels.

And with the industry regular Ofcom warning that the UK economy stands to suffer if it cannot keep up with the pace, the ISPA says the benefits of faster connections will ripple throughout the wider industry into filesharing, gameplay and IP telephony sectors.

"Broadband has made these web technologies such as streaming media, such as telephone over the internet [possible]," a spokesman said. "There are developments going on all the time to improve connectivity and that has a consequence of driving technological innovation on the content and applications side."

The BBC recently launched its new iPlayer service, which allows UK broadband users to watch any BBC show broadcast in the past seven days on demand via its website.