But carriers that are burdened with heavy rules won't invest at the high level needed to spread high-speed broadband everywhere it needs to go.

FORBES

Consumer Focus welcomed the move by Ofcom, but said that in some remote areas people were still waiting for broadband to reach them, and the emphasis needed to be on government plans for everywhere in the UK to have faster broadband by 2015.

BBC: Rural UK could get cheaper broadband under Ofcom plans

Until broadband is affordable and universal, post offices must stay open everywhere they stand.

FORBES: Never Go to the Post Office Again

Research conducted by Capital Economics, commissioned by Everything Everywhere, said a cautious estimate of the impact of 4G LTE mobile broadband will be in the order of a 0.5 percentage point on gross domestic product.

WSJ: U.K.'s 4G Auction a Missed Opportunity for Real Competition

"The market for networked devices is growing rapidly with the proliferation of broadband and the rise of the 'Anywhere Consumer'- those desiring to be connected everywhere they go, " said Carl Howe, director, Yankee Group.

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They give everywhere a grade from one to five by combining information on sync speed, whether super fast broadband is available, and how popular broadband take-up has been.

BBC: NI internet users making the broadband switch-over