Wales will receive around £57 million from the UK government to improve the condition of the broadband coverage in the area, UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced.

The £56.9 million funding will come from the £530 million pot that was set aside by the government last year to improve broadband coverage across rural areas of the country. The money includes the £10 million fund announced by Chancellor George Osborne in February this year.

Mr. Hunt said super-fast broadband is essential for businesses to grow and create new jobs, and to deliver public services. He added it must be make sure that rural and hard-to-reach communities also join the digital age.

The funding will allow Welsh to ensure super-fast broadband access to 90 per cent of homes and businesses, with the rest having access to broadband of at least 2 Mbps.

Speaking on the topic, Mr. Hunt said, "If the Welsh government matches our investment, 90 percent of the country's homes and businesses will have access to superfast broadband."

The announcement of funding for improving broadband has surfaced as the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) warned that lack of decent broadband connections prevents rural homes and businesses from communicating properly.