Broadband speeds will need to grow faster before small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be able to make full use of cloud computing, an expert has claimed.

Matt Yardley, partner at Analysys Mason, has claimed that this will only be possible on a large scale when high-capability fibre networks are made available on a large scale.

He said that it is a long way off before these resources are made available on both fixed and mobile networks, which will act as an obstruction to the growing penetration of cloud computing.

Mr Yardley added: "What I see as the biggest challenge for cloud computing … is, when we unlock it, working together with the telecoms market [on] how we can really seize that SME market potential."

He made his comments at the Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar on cloud computing, which covered topics including the reliability and security of this method of computing.