§ Michael FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who will be responsible for providing the European Commission with information on the UK's national strategy on growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile sectors prior to the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental Conference; and if she will make a statement. [156463]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Department of Trade and Industry supplied the European Commission with information on the UK's national strategy on growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile sectors on 19 December 2003.
The UK was a late starter in relation to broadband, but with 3.2 million subscriptions to date and growing by some 40,000 per week the market is now exhibiting strong growth. Our target remains for the UK to have the most extensive and competitive broadband market 1777W in the G7 by 2005. We are already ahead of our European G7 neighbours in both the competitiveness and extensiveness of our broadband market.