IT contractors and freelancers could see competition between internet service providers hot up next year with the introduction of on-demand video services to broadband packages, it has been said.

The UK recently came 24th out of 30 in broadband website Point Topic's quarterly survey of the best value-for-money broadband worldwide, while Hong Kong took the top spot as the nation offering the cheapest tariffs.

Freelance IT journalist Ben Camm-Jones said the countries that fared best in the survey were largely those that have invested heavily in their broadband infrastructure over the last few years.

In the UK market, competition has always been fierce, he added, but profit margins tend to be thin and many internet services providers (ISPs) try to promote themselves as the one offering the best value.

"Those that can offer bundled packages - broadband, phone, TV and so on - have a competitive edge at the moment, though when and if YouView launches in the UK next year, all ISPs will have the chance to add on-demand video services to their broadband packages," he went on to say.