Press & PR

For the development of new web-based technologies to be successful, it is vital that the UK broadband network is capable of delivering high-speed services, one expert has suggested.

According to Philip Rosedale, founder of online virtual world Second Life, if ultra-fast services such as fibre optic broadband aren't deployed widely throughout the country, people could find themselves with access to fewer web based services as developers create technologies that require ever higher bandwidth requirements to operate.

Mr Rosedale added that the current popularity of web applications such as YouTube and Second Life was attributable to a sharp increase in speeds in the end of the last decade.

However, he added that if new technology is to mature, a major infrastructural change will be needed to deliver even faster connections.

According to a newly published study by price comparison service Top 10 Broadband, the UK is "addicted" to high-speed services, with available speeds seen to be the determining factor in choosing broadband suppliers.

Vonage offers broadband users an easy way to make cheap calls using VoIP packages. The V-Plan 1 is available for £5.99 per month and includes unlimited calls to UK landlines.