BT testing new microwave broadband technology
BT is testing a new microwave technology to help deliver high speed broadband to remote villages.
According to ISP Review, the village of Westow in North Yorkshire is getting the trial technology, which rather than have BT dig up the road to lay a fibre-optic cable instead uses a wireless microwave link – with two tall towers at either end to send and receive the signal over about a three mile distance.
One the receiver has the signal, it then goes into green broadband cabinet on the street and residents are able to subscribe to their BT broadband as normal.
The upshot of the technology is that it could – if successful – make it cheaper and easier to connect up the remaining 5% of the population who are unable to get high speed broadband. These, inevitably, are people who live in super rural locations where the expense of laying traditional cables outweighs the needs of the handful of people it would help.
BT isn’t the first company to try something like this either – last year EE trialled a similar wireless technology to connect up a village to 4G.
