Fibre broadband funding allocation set to be announced

The government is this week expected to reveal the amounts of public money allocated to regions across the UK for fibre optic broadband investment.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is set to announce how the £530 million earmarked for broadband improvements will be divided among 40 areas, including Northern Ireland, Scotland and English councils, reports the Guardian.

Under the government's plans, all 25 million UK homes will receive access to speeds of at least 2Mbps, while 90 per cent will be able to enjoy minimum download rates of 24Mbps.

However, broadband expert at Enders Analysis Ian Watt said £530 million will only be enough to bring the technology to around three-quarters of households.

"It's more likely that high-speed broadband will be available to the centre of the village, for example to a school, library or post office," he remarked.

The news comes just a matter of days after Virgin Media announced it will roll out its fibre optic broadband network to an extra 100,000 properties by the end of the year.