BT Trial 80Mbps Wireless to the Cabinet Broadband on Rathlin Island

The remote island of Rathlin, which is home to around 100 people and resides just off the north coast of Northern Ireland, has been given a significant capacity upgrade thanks to BT’s trial of a new “experimental” Wireless to the Cabinet (WTTC?) broadband system.

Precise details of the new system are not known but the official Rathlin Community states that it will operate via a “newly developed radio solution” linking the Ballycastle telephone exchange on the mainland with the Rathlin island exchange (this sounds like some form of Microwave link).

Apparently the new link will deliver a significant capacity boost and this in turn can be integrated into BT’s local fibre optic based broadband architecture, which provides a ‘fibre-like’ capacity directly to street cabinets (i.e. FTTC). Locals can thus expect to receive internet download speeds of up to 80Mbps.

Frank McManus, BT’s Head of Wholesale Services, said (Recombu):

“We have been exploring innovative ways to deliver high speed broadband capability to Rathlin for some time, so we are very excited to announce the launch of this technology trial. This is a first for the UK and Ireland and will enable residents on the island to enjoy similar fibre broadband speeds as those available to businesses and households across Northern Ireland.”

The news itself was actually published earlier this month but we neglected to cover it at the time. It’s understood that the system will be trialled for 6 months with a limited number of local premises and, if successful, it will then be rolled out to the rest of Rathlin.