Trappist monks fromCaldey Islandare using a new wireless broadband link to boost takings from
their online shop.
Father Daniel, abbot of Caldey Abbey, part of the
Cistercian order, said, "Patience is one of the characteristics
of monastic life, but even the patience of the brothers was being
tested by our slow dial-up internet service."
Daniel said broadband access had made a huge difference to their
internet usage. "We knew that we needed a faster connection, but we
had almost given up trying to find a workable solution which would
give us an internet connection at speeds enjoyed by others on the
mainland," he said.
The brothers now plan to grow their online shop, which offers
perfumes, chocolate, shortbread, books and first day covers for
stamp collectors. "We have many plans to develop our commercial
activities now that we have a modern, high-speed communications
link," said Daniel.
The link, from Welsh wireless broadband network operator
Telecomms Facilities
(TFL), connects the abbey to the rest of the world via a 100Mbps
fibre optic backhaul service from
ntl:Telewest
Business, part of the Virgin Media group. TFL provides Wi-Fi
and Wimax broadband services across West Wales.
Demand for TFL's services, which bring high-speed network access
to a rural, under-served area of the UK, were straining TFL's
network capacity. Backhauling via ntl:Telewest's optical fibre
network allowed TFL to provide point-to-point wireless network
access at up to 300Mbps.