Businesses call for broadband speeds faster than 2Mbps

Businesses are calling for minimum government broadband targets to reach beyond the two megabits-per-second (Mbps) figure given in the Digital Britain report.

The government has said it will deliver speeds of at least 2Mbps to broadband users by the time the Olympics come to London in 2012, which would allow more people to download web content faster and use VoIP hardware.

However, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called for a higher target as it says that the majority of firms think 8Mbps is a better target, given that many applications already need faster speeds.

John Wright, national chairman of the FSB, said: "Small businesses are ready to play their part. Now the government needs to step up and take the country into a future when UK businesses are internationally competitive."

He added that within four years a fifth of UK revenue will be generated through ecommerce and that government targets and spending relating to broadband need to reflect this.

BT is currently testing faster connection speeds in various towns and cities around the UK as part of a £1.5 billion investment.