Government plan puts superfast broadband on the map

National Infrastructure Plan reveals the superfast haves and have-nots

Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement saw the release of the government's 2011 National Infrastructure Plan, which details more than 500 projects worth over £250bn.

Part of the plan aims to create the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015.

The document provides a map of superfast broadband availability and highlights the lack of coverage in many rural areas.

It explains: "The current regional performance looks particularly weak as far as coverage of superfast broadband is concerned, with overall availability of superfast broadband restricted to 58 per cent of the UK's population. There are also very large regional variations.

"For instance, 97 per cent of Northern Ireland's population has access to superfast broadband, but only 30 to 40 per cent of Wales and Scotland do."