BSG: Next-generation broadband reliability likely to trump speed

The reliability of next-generation broadband services could have more of an impact than the top connection speeds they offer, according to the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG).

According to Antony Walker, chief executive at the BSG, the recession has prompted consumers to ask for greater value from their broadband services, as well as seeking faster connection speeds.

Having next-generation broadband could enable businesses to communicate cheaply by using technology such as VoIP hardware.

Mr Walker, speaking at the Westminster eForum keynote seminar the Future of Broadband in the UK, said: "My feeling is [next-generation broadband is] much less about headline speed than it is about an assured level of service and, critically, greater upload speeds."

He added that more work needs to be done to identify what specific elements of next-generation broadband could transform the internet.

The seminar was held at Over-Seas House, London, and addressed issues such as the government's proposed phone line tax and how next-generation broadband has been deployed internationally.