Prime minister puts technology at heart of recovery
Investment in IT could be the 21st century equivalent of building roads and railways, says Gordon Brown
Brown: We can invest in the digital infrastructure for the future
Prime minister Gordon Brown wants investment in technology to be at the heart of the UK and Europe's economic recovery.
Speaking after a summit with business leaders from firms including Vodafone and BT, as well as French president Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, Brown said the time had come "to build the technological and environmental infrastructure of the 21st century".
He drew parallels with the way in which previous generations had invested in transport.
"We have looked at how, just as many years ago investment in road and rail and infrastructure was a powerful stimulus to the economies then, so too in this new age we can invest in the digital infrastructure for the future," said Brown.
The prime minister highlighted telecommunications, environmentally-related industries and new environmental technologies as key areas for investment.
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