Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Budget 2015 Technology: Britain moving towards a “digital future”

Chancellor George Osborne
Chancellor George Osborne

The technology industry has praised the presence of the “Internet of Things“ in the Budget as a sign Britain is moving towards a “digital future”.

Chancellor George Osborne used his final Budget before the general election to announce more investment in the country’s technology industry, including in the Internet of Things and bringing ultra-fast broadband to the whole country.

In confirming greater government interest in the Internet of Things, which is the idea that devices and appliances around the home can communicate and be controlled by a smartphone or tablet, Mr Osborne made a joke at the expense of Labour leader Ed Miliband.

“So should – to use a completely ridiculous example – someone have two kitchens, they will be able to control both fridges from the same mobile phone,” he said, in reference to the Labour leader.

No further details were announced for how the government is planning to invest in the technology, but those within the industry were nonetheless pleased to see the technology acknowledged by the Chancellor.

Neil Crockett, chief executive of national technology centre Digital Catapult said: “The Internet of Things (IoT) is a key area of growth for the UK’s digital economy; a factor recognised by the government with today’s investment announcement.

“We are proud to be a partner in this project, enabling collaboration between innovators, organisations and academics who, together, can put the UK at the forefront of a new wave of business models that will make the UK more competitive and a better place to live. It means that the UK can be IoT leaders rather than just IoT consumers”.

Stuart Miles, the founder of technology and gadget news website Pocket-lint added: “The government’s recognition of the Internet of Things as a force that will change the technology landscape forever is good, although how it will get involved is yet to be seen. Likewise the shift towards filing and accessing your tax online rather than having to wait for written correspondence shows a move towards a more digital future.”

Mr Osborne also pledged that the government was aiming to bring ultra-fast broadband to “nearly all homes in the country”, calling it a “national ambition”. Ultra-fast broadband is classed as a connection speed of at least 100 megabits per second. In comparison, the current super-fast broadband offered by most telecoms giants can reach around 80 megabits per second, but not in all areas.

Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert for comparison site uSwitch.com said: “George Osborne’s ambition to improve broadband infrastructure across the UK is welcome news – especially for those who, even in 2015, are blighted by a poor or non-existent broadband connection.

“The proposals are an important step towards making broadband, now regarded as an essential service, available to all, rather than most.

“Some people in the furthest reaches of the UK are being left behind in the race for a digital Britain. They are missing out on the advantages that a reliable internet connection brings, including all the cheaper services and deals found online.

“Further steps could still be taken to make the availability and benefits of superfast and ultrafast broadband clear, so that everyone in the UK has both the ability and the confidence to get online.

“If the government’s plan is to succeed in the hardest-to-reach areas, broadband needs to be affordable, especially for those who are isolated or vulnerable.”