BT is trialling radio-based broadband internet access
for rural communities in the UK unable to get broadband access over
their telephone lines.
Homes more than 6km from an ADSL exchange or near small
exchanges that have not been ADSL-enabled have so far been unable
to receive broadband service from BT.
The trial offers access using a low-powered antenna on the
outside of a house, connected by a cable to the user's PC. The
system works using point-to-multipoint radio in the 5.8GHz spectrum
to connect to the exchange, said BT spokesman Mike Jarvis.
Users in Ballingry, Pwllheli, Porthleven, England and Campsie
will test the service until March. The 105 users will have access
to the internet at speeds similar to ADSL access.
Any actual roll-out of the services, however, will depend on
Regional Development Agencies partnering with BT to cover the costs
of setting up the service. Jarvis said he not expect the cost to
end users to be higher than that for ADSL users, but the
infrastructure costs will have to be covered.
BT remains committed to offering broadband to all UK users by
2005, and this is one possibility for doing so, Jarvis said.
No users were immediately available to comment on how well the
radio service is working for them.
Earlier this year, Netherlands satellite company Aramiska began
offering a satellite-based service to rural communities, for an
annual charge per village or community of £5,000. The villages of
West Haddon and Winwick in rural Northamptonshire took up the
service when 11 local users got together and set up West Haddon and
Winwick Community Broadband to run the service.
Organizer Trevor Sherman said the service is going well and,
while he did not know a great deal about the BT trials, he was not
considering changing.
"We're pretty happy with the progress of the system, and an
added benefit is that it's community based," he said. "People have
met people they never would have otherwise."
Gillian Law writes for IDG News Service