Welsh govt warned about fibre broadband obsession

The Welsh Assembly Government has been urged not to become obsessed with rolling out super-fast fibre optic broadband.

Julian McGougan of telecoms infrastructure firm Arqiva compared the focus on high speeds to offering consumers a Ferrari, when in reality they will get a Ford Focus.

"There is a real worry that when the pot runs dry some of those people who were in line to get a Ford Focus won't get one because the money won't be there," he was quoted by the Western Mail as saying.

Mr McGougan warned that many policymakers in Westminster and Cardiff believe anything other than super-fast connectivity is not worth having.

Arqiva figures indicate that 90,000 homes across Wales are currently unable to access speeds of at least 2Mbps, described by the company as the minimum acceptable standard for broadband.

Research from Ofcom showed broadband uptake in Wales stood at 71 per cent in August, up seven percentage points on the figure recorded 12 months earlier.