A broadband expert has revealed that it is likely the next generation of broadband will allow for vast improvements to the infrastructure of UK businesses, with internet solutions replacing current practices to allow for growth and future prosperity.

However, Roger Darlington of the Communications Consumer Panel told the audience of a seminar on the future of broadband internet that he was unsure how home and business broadband customers would actually drive the uptake of the next-generation technologies.

Darlington noted that detailed analysis was needed in order to assess just how the networking technologies, which will allow faster connections for a wider spectrum of businesses, will be used once they are established.

Darlington was speaking at the Westminster eForum last week. The forum brought into question the contentious issues of the government subsidy of high speed broadband networks, asking why so much money was being pumped in when little was known about the actual use of such an infrastructure.

It was made clear that although development of broadband in the future was necessary, the fact that only three quarters of UK properties were eligible for an internet connection of any kind should be considered to be the most important issue to address with current Government funding.

More controversy surrounding key broadband providers arose last week after it emerged that the BT chairman had been supplied with a high speed connection in his home village whilst every other resident and local business had been unable to access even the most basic broadband service.

Despite the fact that new BT business broadband packages offer faster speeds and wider availability, many isolated business owners feel that they are being left behind as most of the new developments first occur in heavily populated areas.