Test network on Skye faster than urban counterparts

An experimental broadband network being used on Skye in Scotland has produced faster connection speeds than are available in many towns and cities.

The project has been organised by the University of the Highlands and the University of Edinburgh and works by using an existing web connection at Skye's Sabhal Mor Ostaig college to extend a 40km ring of cheap wireless phone relays, reports the BBC.

With government funds and community-driven networks, the system could help provide better use of VoIP solutions and faster download speeds throughout rural Scotland.

Prof Peter Buneman, of Edinburgh University's school of informatics, told the BBC: "Broadband speed is doubly important in remote areas where radio, TV and telephones may not work well. Our study shows how high-speed access can be made available to remote areas."

How to reach the most rural areas of the UK under the government's universal connectivity scheme continues to be a source of controversy, with one option being to use mobile phone radio spectrum to generate a WiFi signal.