VoIP solutions to Northern Isles

Global Marine Systems have been awarded a contract by BT to connect the Northern Isles to the Scottish mainland via a 70 kilometre fibre optic cable, which would allow island businesses to embrace VoIP solutions.

The submarine cable will run from Dunnet Bay on the mainland, under the Pentland Firth and on to Skaill Bay in Orkney to provide connectivity for the Northern Isles to BT's 21st Century Network (21CN).

However, almost 60 exchanges will have to be replaced with new equipment before the network is up and running on the islands.

"It's one of the biggest projects BT has ever undertaken and much more work will have to be done before 21CN comes to Orkney and Shetland," said BT Scotland's director Brendan Dick.

When they are connected however, he said people on the islands "will enjoy a better overall experience, from ordering a service to paying the bill".

BT say that 21CN has been designed "to deliver a world class customer experience from end-to-end" and will achieve this by simplifying operations, improving efficiency and allowing for new services to launch faster.

They believe that it is a future-proof, flexible and intelligent network.