Internet giants in talks over a home-working revolution

MINISTERS have announced plans to kick-start a work from home revolution by boosting high-speed broadband connections around the country.

A new £400million fund, which is expected to unlock £1billion worth of investment in the sector thanks to private investment, will make buffering a thing of the past and allow families to use multiple devices simultaneously without suffering slower speeds.

It will also allow more people to work from home, ministers said, as the Government looks for ways to encourage people to work flexibly and take pressure off key transport routes at peak times. The move came as the Culture Minister prepares to talk to internet giants over improving the way the UK delivers digital services and boosts jobs and investment in the industry.

Google, Facebook and Apple will meet Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Culture and Media, in Whitehall today at the first session of the Digital Economy Council. Ministers have vowed to improve internet connections around the country to help staff work more flexibly from home and prevent overcrowding on transport routes.

The fund will be overseen by private companies which will work to get investment in the industry in an effort to roll out full fibre broadband to more than 10million homes and businesses over the next four years.

Announcing the scheme in Peterborough today, Andrew Jones, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, will say: “Gone will be the days where parents working from home see their emails grind to a halt while a family member is gaming or streaming Game of Thrones in the next room. Full fibre will provide us with the better broadband we need to ensure we can work flexibly, without connections failing.”