'Hereford connectivity to be boosted using church transmitters'

Web users struggling with slow broadband connections in Hereford could find their services improved with the installation of signal boosters on local church steeples.

Local IT company Allpay is to set up the transmitters on churches in the region to create a new network that could help improve the use of VoIP hardware in the town that is recognised as having some of the UK's lowest connection speeds, reports the Hereford Times.

Wireless broadband networks operated on a community-wide level are being considered in several regions of the UK and could help deliver the government's universal connectivity policy.

Tony Killeen, founder of Allpay, told the paper: "We now have a wonderful opportunity to broadband-enable the most remote areas of our county without the need for telecommunications masts and cables."

Laying fibre optic cables to deliver next-generation broadband speeds is an expensive operation, although some towns are having cabling laid in their sewer systems as a more cost-effective option.

Virgin Media and BT are currently the most prolific investors in fibre technology in the UK.