Bute - Trials of broadband using "white spaces" in the broadcasting band for broadband telecommunications

The Daily Telegraph reports that in a trial, residents of the Isle of Bute can get speeds of between 4 and 8 Mbps with a TV aerial.

BT is one of a number of partners collaborating in a year-long test to examine if rural areas can benefit from using redundant bits of the radio spectrum. The so-called ‘digital dividend’ from moving television from analogue to digital means that new areas of ‘white-space’ have opened up. A total of 32 8MHz wide channels will be available, and each could patch holes in broadband coverage. That’s particularly useful in areas where the local telephone exchange is a long way from rural residents, which means broadband speeds can be painfully slow.