GWENT'S valleys will be left on the hard shoulder of the information superhighway unless the government acts soon.

That's the warning for Gwent AM Phil Williams, who believes not enough is being done to bring the benefits of broadband communication to the areas that need it most. "The most serious threat to Welsh businesses is the failure of the UK and Welsh governments to ensure a proper infrastructure for broadband telecommunication.

"The UK is dropping to the bottom of the European league in IT provision and Wales is at the bottom of the UK league. The governments' response has been totally inadequate." Dr Williams highlights the latest figures from the OECD which show the UK ranked 22 among the high-tech nations. Only Ireland and Greece are ranked lower among EU nations.

UK broadband penetration was less than half that of Portugal, France and Finland, and less than a quarter of that in Germany.

Dr Williams estimates that an investment of some £200 million is needed in Wales alone to close the gap.

"A total investment of £200 million is required to close the gap between our businesses and competitors in the rest of the EU," he said.

The government of Wales have been praising a £19 million investment which will link all local authorities with the broadband network. But Dr Williams notes that only half of this is actually being spent on fibres - the rest is on IT equipment to access the faster, wider highways and byways of the e-world.

He said: "The minister for e-commerce, Andrew Davies, talks about an investment of £18.5 million, but really it's only £8.5 million in broadband. That's totally inadequate." Dr Williams said that Newport is relatively well served for access to broadband, but the pressing need is for it to spread in to Valleys' areas like Blaenau Gwent.