But the real leap will come in two years' time with the introduction of third-generation mobile phones, allowing much faster Internet connections.

ECONOMIST: Government and the Internet

Many also felt it took too long for films to download via the internet, but the growth in use of broadband - which offers faster internet connections - is changing that.

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Unlike fat and happy middle-class America, the developing world has a lot of unmet needs and pent-up demands--not for faster Internet connections and SUVs (yet), but for simple stuff such as telephones and cosmetics.

FORBES: The World to Gain

At the moment only mobile operator EE is able to offer customers the 4G service, which provides faster mobile internet connections.

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However, the broadband business has done well due to rising demand for faster Internet and decline of DSL Internet connections.

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At the moment, downloading a song at hi-fi quality over the Internet can take several times as long as playing it, but a number of small companies have set up as online distributors, in the hope that Internet connections will get faster in the next few years.

ECONOMIST: In the picture

For example, Internet connections would be getting faster no matter what was going on with movie downloading services.

FORBES: Digital Tools

The technology, called DSL, already exists to allow internet connections up to 100 times faster than existing modems, and BT has been testing it for some time.

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As a bonus, SpeedNet's customers will be able to plug into the Internet at warp speed, using connections that are more than 100 times faster than a dial-up modem.

ECONOMIST: Japanese Telecoms