Hunt warns of slow fibre-optic broadband roll-out

Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that the UK's roll-out of fast, fibre-optic broadband is taking too long.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge, the politician claimed that the country could end up at a disadvantage in terms of internet connection speeds if this trend continues.

He pointed the blame at industry disputes and made mention of ongoing problems with Fujitsu and BT over the roll-out of fibre-optics.

"Physical infrastructure access has to be sorted out – and quickly - in a way that allows fair competition with different providers able to invest in our broadband infrastructure," Mr Hunt said.

He went on to claim that the government does not want the country to end up trailing behind other countries in terms of broadband, comparing it to the high-speed rail networks of Japan and France.

BT's Openreach division recently reported that 114 new locations are set to enjoy faster broadband when its upgrades are completed in autumn 2012.