VoIP traffic to reach rural Wales

Another rural community in the UK could soon be set to benefit from access to IP telephony solutions and other online services.

The UK's fastest rural broadband was this week launched in the village of Lyddington in Rutland by rural internet service provider Rutland Telecom and Broadband access equipment provider Zhone Technologies.

Rutland Telecom has now announced it will use the same technology and business model to deliver broadband speeds of up to 40Mbps to the Welsh border village Erbistock, near Wrexham.

Access to next-generation broadband will give the residents of Erbistock the bandwidth and reliability needed to use VoIP solutions, and other digital services such as on-demand television.

Rutland Telecom's process delivers faster broadband to rural communities via a sustainable private investment programme by exploiting telecoms legislation that allows smaller companies to use the BT copper wire network.

Mark Melluish, director at Rutland Telecom, said that Erbistock's next-generation broadband will "benefit the local community by providing a service in that area".

Broadband subscriptions worldwide will rise to half a billion over the next year, Informa Telecoms & Media said recently.

The continued spread of fixed broadband could potentially see more households and businesses taking up VoIP phones.