Over half of IT decision-makers in Scotland believe that the country has inferior broadband to other parts of the UK, according to research.

The poll, commissioned by CityFibre and carried out by YouGov, found that 52 percent of respondents thought that the infrastructure was inferior. This figure came despite 61 percent citing improved internet connectivity as key in supporting growth.

The study also saw 92 percent of respondents claiming high-quality, fast broadband was important to the success of their company.

In addition, when discussing businesses in general, improved internet connectivity was cited by 61 percent as an important driver for economic and business growth.

This exceeded the number who cited a reduced rate of tax, at 48 percent, as well as those who cited improved national and international transport links at 59 percent and 37 percent, respectively.

This figure was supported by 65 percent of businesses claiming that insufficient internet would cause a drop in office productivity, while 42 percent said it would affect their ability to grow.

A further 69 percent claimed that customer service would suffer, while 47 percent felt that poor internet would affect their decision to invest in new technology.

Digital fibre was cited as a key solution to these problems. 44 percent believe that it will increase revenues, while 55 percent and 68 percent respectively believe cost efficiency and productivity would increase if gigabit speed internet was commonplace.

CityFibre’s city development manager James McClafferty said: "Fast, reliable broadband connectivity is vital in modern business, The fact that 61% of the IT decision makers we polled in Scotland agree and yet over half (52%) of them rate their current service as substandard should be a real concern.

"Scotland is a vital part of the UK economy. Regions like Aberdeen, Edinburgh and others are powerhouses of important industries like oil and gas and financial services. Such areas are in desperate need of cutting edge technology in order to carry out their day-to-day business. More importantly they need the network infrastructure to support it.

"Through our on going work in Aberdeen and our plans to build one of the largest, most modern fibre networks in the world in Edinburgh, CityFibre is dedicated to ensuring the country is digitally future proofed for decades to come.

"We would encourage all business in Edinburgh to join our Gigabit revolution and sign up to be amongst the first to benefit from these services."

Richard Nicol, CEO of CommsWorld, CityFibre’s partner in Scotland added: "The digital advances in Scotland over the past 5-10 years have been phenomenal and the amount of new digital businesses appearing that are helping to grow the economy is fantastic.

"However, without the proper infrastructure there will always be a limit to what can be achieved and at some point capacity will become a huge issue. These IT decision makers are the first people who will start to see these limitations being reached and that is reflected in their responses.

"What CityFibre are bringing to Edinburgh is a game changer that future proofs the city for decades to come and offers the chance for substantial economic growth as well as a list of other business and social benefits."