'Broadband target for 2012 is attainable'

A broadband expert at BT has said that connecting every UK home with a service of at least two megabits per second (Mbps) is an attainable target.

Steve Robertson, chief executive of Openreach, told the Guardian that he believes high-speed broadband can be delivered to the vast majority of UK homes within the government's stated timeframe and that the cost will not reach into the billions.

High-speed broadband services could help the UK remain more competitive within the global economy, while also helping optimise VoIP hardware and additional applications.

Mr Robertson told the paper: "There is probably a very, very small rump where it becomes very, very difficult, but I do not think it is particularly easy for the mobile guys to reach them either."

He added that it will be the last one per cent of homes that will be the most difficult and costly to connect.

Web users in rural areas have responded angrily to the suggestion that they could miss out on high-speed broadband connections, but the government may use mobile networks to address the problem.