Superfast broadband 'could lift online retail to number one'

Superfast broadband could turn online shopping into the UK's premier retail platform and boost the number of business start-ups, it has been suggested.

Jonathan Bowers, communications director of UKFast, said faster connection speeds will allow businesses to build better relationships with their customers.

He explained that this is because sites that are slow will struggle to deliver high-quality customer experience and will have difficulties retaining business as a result. 

"A combination of super-fast broadband and speed of delivery from businesses is definitely going to make a big difference and can probably make the internet the biggest retail platform in the UK," Mr Bowers remarked.

He went on to state that entrepreneurial activity in the UK could increase as a result of the planned rise in web connectivity speeds.

Virgin Media recently announced in its yearly report that 4.8 million people were using its cable broadband service by the end of last year.