THE WORLD’S first commercial super-3G service has been launched on the Island, promising speeds of over 1.3Mbps – and the Department’s Computer Bus, co-sponsored by Manx Telecom, has become one of its
first users.

The bus, now in its eighth year, hit the headlines a couple of years ago when it became one of the first users outside Japan to adopt ‘3G’ technology, allowing ‘broadband’ wireless access through just a single 3G Phone.

With the new system, the bus uses a single Sierra Wireless Aircard 850, plugged into a laptop computer, which in turn offers even faster wireless access to each of the 24 other computers on board.

Manx Telecom has become the first UK network operator to officially adopt the high-speed mobile broadband technology HSDPA.

During half term, the bus met up with the BBC computer bus at Port Erin. The BBC bus was on the Island as part of a nation-wide adult literacy initiative. Whilst on the Island, the Northwest team became the first to use the HSDPA cards to broadcast live to BBC Lancashire via ‘Skype’, the well known internet telephony service.

The technology was launched in conjunction with Manx Telecom and Lucent on 1 November, and promises
a theoretical maximum of up to 14.4Mbps, dependent on the technical limitations of the devices involved. HSDPA — or High Speed Downlink Packet Access - sometimes dubbed 3.5G or super-3G — technology, may also have implications for the Department’s 1-to-1 laptop scheme, allowing home school access.

Alex Townsend (left centre), the Department of Education’s ‘Computer Bus man’, is delighted that the Manx bus is able to remain at the cutting edge of technology: "After seven years of input into our primary schools, I am particularly keen to re-offer our services to secondary schools on the Island. The use of the latest broadband technology may open up new possibilities for secondaries wishing to make use of our unique resource.”

Secondary Schools wishing to use the bus after Xmas can phone Alex direct on 490629 or e-mail via First Class.