The UK government wants the county councils to sign broadband contract before February end

Broadband prospects in Wales received a jolt when one of the major suppliers has withdrawn. Broadband Delivery UK had asked the councils to apply for a part of the GBP 530 million set aside by the government to improve the communication facilities in the country. But the process is extremely slow. The method of allocating the finance has been criticized. Exclusion of small companies from the broadband delivery network has also been disliked. With Fujitsu pulling out, only BT is left in the field. The situation is similar to that happened in Highlands and Islands in Scotland. In the meantime, the Culture Secretary Jemeny Hunt has given the ultimatum that if the county councils do not sign the contract before the end of February, they run the risk of not getting any finance. Fujitsu was forced to pull out of the ‘Next Generation Broadband Wales’ tender because it felt that the risk levels in the contract were too high. Fujitsu will, however, continue its operation in other regions, where the terms are more reasonable. If BT remains the lone bidder in Wales, the significance of competitive tender will be lost. A report from BDUK is awaited in the matter. Jemeny Hunt, whose ambition is to make the UK the best broadband nation of Europe by 2015, is naturally frustrated at the happenings.