And there would be a 15-year priority programme of improvements to the rail network, including the introduction of high speed links between London, Heathrow Airport, Birmingham and Manchester.

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For the main arteries of its network, SpeedNet will use 64, 000-kilometres of Tepco's high-speed data links, which are strung along the streets and railway lines of greater Tokyo, sharing poles and conduits with its electricity cables.

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And second, the Baby Bells will have to deploy high-speed links of their own.

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The report mentions other long-term priorities such as ensuring transport links, improving island infrastructure such as the roads, harbours and broadband access and speed, security of energy supply and planning for increasing health and pension costs due to an ageing population.

BBC: Peter Harwood