Online marketplace eBay.co.uk has submitted a ‘mobile manifesto’ to the UK government today, listing seven areas of focus that will boost the UK's economic recovery by supporting the digital communications industry.

It points out that a recent report prepared for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport estimated the UK’s digital communications industry is worth over £50 billion to the UK economy and employs 531,000 UK workers.

The Mobile Manifesto covers mobile broadband services, roaming costs, regulation, payments, net neutrality, optimising for mobile devices and training.

In addition, eBay has published new research that shows 45% of consumers are unhappy with the speed of their mobile data connection - and three-quarters of mobile users say they’d spend more through their mobiles if retailers had optimised websites.

Miriam Lahage, Vice President of Global Fashion at eBay, said “The mobile economy is proving resilient as people increasingly see owning and using a mobile phone as an essential expense, despite cutting back in other areas. As smartphone and tablet ownership increases there will be even greater potential rewards for companies investing in mobile, and this is particularly true for retailers. At eBay in the UK we now see around 10% of sales by value transacted on mobile devices, but we need the right infrastructure in the UK to match this demand. For retailers, it's about putting mobile at the heart of your strategy and creating a site that is optimised for every device.”

Other research conducted by Verdict for eBay suggested that mobile shopping could deliver a £4.5 billion boost to Britain's economy by 2016.

[Mobile Manifesto (pdf)]