The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cable's argument was not new but No 10 seemed to have been caught by surprise by the timing of the article, which comes less than two weeks before the Budget and after the economy shrank in the last few months of 2012.

BBC: David Cameron: We will hold firm on economy

"I think everyone is hoping cable Internet will take off, " says Chin Wong, editor of ComputerWorld Philippines, a trade publication.

CNN: With a Little Help From a Foe