People in Unst are accessing the internet at ten times the normal speed thanks to the latest broadband technology provided by BT Openworld.

Telecroft 2000 has provided training and business services to a wide range of individuals, community groups and companies over the past decade and is the most northerly business in the UK using the new broadband service.

Broadband is a very fast connection downloading information at up to 500K Bits per second, over ten times faster than a normal connection via the telephone system. The satellite system differs from the normal cable broadband system in that the return messages from the computer are sent to a satellite at slower speed – some 150K Bits per second. This means the system is not recommended for uses such as teleconferencing or computer gaming on-line.

One of the other significant benefits is that the service is "always on" so that incoming e-mails are received in real time rather than being stored up and downloaded only when the user logs on to the internet. There is a significant time saving when sending or receiving long documents like proposals, audio/video files, or spreadsheets.

The broadband connection can benefit a wide range of businesses and services from home-based workers through to organisations requiring simultaneous access for up to four PCs.

Broadband access to the internet is a key target for government and is central to their objective of implementing a ‘Smart, Successful Scotland’.

Telecroft 2000 is one of three places in the Highlands and Islands using the service so far. Laura Baisley, Telecroft’s manager says: "The new system gives us the ability to download very large datafiles in a fraction of the time it used to take. We can now download media-rich interactive learning courses, for example, the North Highland College in Thurso is developing exciting new courses including veterinary nursing, which would be time-consuming and costly to download without the broadband connection."

Laura intends to expand the facilities offered by Telecroft 2000 as a result of having the new fast internet service and can offer visits to demonstrate the service.

Laura Baisley said: "We are proud to be Britain’s most northerly broadband connection. Other businesses could also reap great benefits and we are happy to demonstrate the system in action and answer any questions about our experiences with this excellent service."

For a limited period, Shetland Enterprise is offering discretionary assistance to businesses and organisations who would like to take advantage of this exciting new opportunity to acquire the fastest internet access service currently available in Shetland.

To find out more about broadband services please contact Shetland Enterprise - or visit www.hie.co.uk/shetland/satellite