Familiarity with digital technology could boost earnings by £10.8bn

The future earnings of the 1.8 million children currently growing up without broadband could be boosted by £10.8 billion if they develop familiarity with the technology, an expert says.

According to research commissioned by Martha Lane Fox's Digital Inclusion team and carried out by major accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, being familiar with broadband and other digital systems could help people earn an extra £8,000 over their lifetime, reports the Telegraph.

The study also found that almost ten million UK adults have never been online and that households lacking a home internet connection are missing out on web-based savings of more than £1 billion every year.

Ms Lane Fox told the paper: "I think it is really important to show the economic argument behind getting people online. By being online there are massive savings for people personally, rich rewards for their career prospects and also big savings for the government."

Technology such as VoIP solutions can help people communicate cheaply over the internet as well.

Internet service providers such as Virgin Media and BT are investing in developing next-generation broadband networks throughout the UK.