Plans to launch a 50mbps internet service in the UK this year are more about waving a "marketing flag" than they are about launching a useful product, says one industry expert.

ISPreview.co.uk, which is an independent source of UK internet service provider news, remained sceptical about the current level of demand for this product and the number of customers who would benefit from it.

Mark Jackson, editor-in-chief of ISPreview.co.uk, said: "While some customers may receive close-ish to the headline speed, most will not."

He explained the reason for this is that bandwidth is still shared and therefore some users are likely to only ever receive a "tiny fraction" of the 50Mbps.

Mr Jackson added that speedy downloading and the ability to deliver real-time, high-quality video and TV streams to consumers will be the "main driving force" behind future high-speed internet services.

Virgin Broadband launched a 50mbps service in certain areas of the UK at the end of last year and now hopes to roll-out this service across the entire UK this year.


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