The UK is trailing when it comes to next-generation access, new figures show.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK is placed 21st out of 30 in terms of speed.
That puts it below countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain.
The report suggests that countries that invest in fibre networks are likely to see the best economic returns in other areas.
When it comes to broadband penetration, the UK is doing OK - placed 13th out of the 30 OECD members.
But most of these subscribers still access broadband via so-called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) rather than via fibre.
Overall, nearly one in 10 OECD subscribers currently accesses the internet over fibre.
In Japan and Korea, most people do; it is also growing fast in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the US.
The report finds that many governments are subsidising the rollout of new broadband networks.



source: bbc