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Broadband Project Reaches Its Target

As 2009 drew to a close, the Highlands and Islands Broadband Project completed the last few links in a brand-new fast broadband network that connects scores of schools and public buildings in Shetland and hundreds throughout the north and west of Scotland.

The project - known as ‘Pathfinder North' - was devised in order to provide broadband services as good as, or better than, those enjoyed in urban areas. The last of the Shetland sites to be connected - the Cunningsburgh Primary School, serving a rural community in the islands' south mainland - was able to log on for the first time on 18 December.

As well as providing fast links between public buildings, the project has other benefits. Schools are able to connect to the GLOW network, which has been set up by Learning and Teaching Scotland (a Scottish Government agency) to help teachers and pupils. GLOW offers easy access to high-quality teaching material and it enables pupils' assignments to be set and marked online. Pupils can easily collaborate on projects not only within schools but also between them, right across Scotland.

There are also ways in which the public can make use of the Pathfinder system. At any of Shetland Islands Council's ferry terminals or Tingwall Airport, anyone with a wifi-equipped laptop or other device can log on to the network and browse the internet or check their e-mail. The service is free and there are no formalities. In two districts, the village of Vidlin and the island of Fetlar, a pilot scheme allows public and business access to the high-speed network, offering a faster connection than conventional broadband.

Pathfinder is just one of several ways in which communications in Shetland are being improved. Work is in hand to bring BT's ‘21st Century Network' to Shetland; as elsewhere, it involves the replacement of equipment in every exchange but, in the islands' case, it also requires the laying of new sub-sea cables. The Islands Council is working on plans to connect Shetland to a Faroese fibre-optic cable that passes through Shetland. Meanwhile, mobile phone provider O² has become the first to introduce 3G network coverage.

Published: 01/01/2010