Slow roll-out of broadband can impede economic growth

Ceredigion Council's strategy aims to provide local businesses with much quicker downloading times and will help attract inward investment.

The county already has broadband access at seven of its secondary and 41 of its primary schools, and wants to extend the service to homes and businesses in villages.

But the county's 35 other village schools with few pupils may find it more difficult to access broadband.

The lack of broadband access means it is difficult to attract inward investment Dave Thomas, Ceredigion council

The prohibitive cost of providing this service using landlines means that wireless technology could hold the key to extending internet services to all villages.

"The lack of broadband access to businesses outside Aberystwyth at the moment means that it is taking far too long for people to access e-mails or download documents," said the council's Dave Thomas.

Ceredigion's planned ASDL exchanges Aberaeron Cardigan Tregaron Llandysul Lampeter Bow Street Aberporth

"Small businesses which depend on information aren't able to grow because of this problem.

"The lack of broadband access means it is difficult to attract inward investment with companies preferring to settle in Cardiff or Birmingham rather than move to Ceredigion."

The first stage of the broadband roll out to the county's schools was helped with �330,000 of Welsh Assembly Government money.

This month, BT announced that 80% of the British population is now connected to a broadband exchange.

But Aberystwyth is Ceredigion's only ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) exchange, which spilts an existing telephone line signal into two, one for voice and the other for data. Only 25% of people in the county can access the technology.

Only 25 per cent of people in Ceredigion can access broadband

Upgrading the county's seven market towns to ADSL will provide only 60% of the population with affordable coverage.

Consequently, wireless technology is seen as the most cost-effective way to provide broadband to villages.

"People in the 41 villages with primary schools with broadband could access the technology by putting an aerial up on their house which will then access broadband from an aerial put up on the school," said Mr Thomas.

If a bid for European Objective One money is successful the upgrading of market town exchanges to provide broadband should be set up by 2005.

The extension to other villages should follow by 2007.

"The problem we've got is that the rent for broadband access will be �140,000, which the council has agreed to but it will stretch our budget," said Mr Thomas.

"This means that more funding will be needed to provide access to villages that contain the remaining 35 schools in Ceredigion.