RESULTS of a huge survey measuring the frustration of business leaders in Greater York over lack of access to latest high-speed broadband lines are now in.

A detailed report has been submitted by York-based marketing specialists Questions Answered to Science City and Yorkshire Forward officials.

But the outcome will not be revealed until March when the officials hope to present not just an analysis of the problem, but also a possible solution.

The report is based on a survey of between 400 and 500 businesses in and around the city.

Many of them complained that while BT has given York "most favoured" status with two high-speed ADSL-enabled exchanges putting the city in the high tech "fast lane", they cannot take advantage of it.

The exchanges allow firms within a three-mile radius to use a system which is up to ten times faster than an ordinary telephone line.

But most of the city's firms are well outside the reach of the new BT-converted exchanges at Stonebow and Melrosegate, and other high-speed solutions such as fibreoptic cabling or satellite transmission tend to be practically impossible or too expensive.

BT has said that with a poor uptake by York businesses in the "enabled" areas - only 215 customers - it would not be worthwhile making the same huge investment elsewhere.

While under the competition rules BT was allowed to offer ADSL only through service providers - it was not allowed to recommend any of them - so it was up to the service providers themselves to stimulate demand.

Anna Rooke, spokesperson for Science City, which is a partnership between City of York Council and the University of York, said: "The survey studied every sector - financial services to retail to manufacturing.

"We are still studying the data. The idea is that we will disseminate the results to all businesses at a launch event in March by which time we will have worked with service providers and will have tested a pilot scheme.

Updated: 09:26 Tuesday, February 05, 2002