Capital nets faster web connection

EDINBURGH is to be one of the UK’s ten “super- connected cities” with extra-fast broadband.

Chancellor George Osborne used his autumn statement yesterday to announce a £100 million UK-wide fund to provide 80-100 megabits per second broadband and city-wide high-speed mobile connectivity.

It is aimed at boosting economic growth and will be aimed at small businesses in particular, but residents are also expected to benefit.

With such high-speed broadband, downloading a music album is said to take five seconds, a TV show 30 seconds and a film about two minutes.

Edinburgh, London, Cardiff and Belfast are included automatically in the ten cities, but a competition will be held to choose the other six.

Then all of them will have to draw up proposals and bid for their share of the cash.