The family investment vehicle of Stagecoach founder Sir Brian Souter has purchased a stake in a pioneering rural broadband firm.
Broadway Partners uses spare radio frequencies made available by the shift from analogue to digital television to deliver broadband to remote communities.
The firm says their use of TV white-space radio is uniquely capable in the challenging geographies that are typical of rural areas, where trees, hills and low population densities typically prelude the use of conventional radio or fibre solutions.
The technology has been some years in development and in gaining regulatory approval.
However, Broadway believes it is coming to the market at the right time, with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, as well as English and Irish counties, all embarking on multi-million pound exercises to address the final few percent of households and businesses who cannot access broadband.
The London-based firm has successfully deployed the system in Perthshire, Inverness-shire and the Isle of Arran.
Calum Cusiter, investment director of Souter Investments, said: “High speed broadband connectivity has become almost utility like in its importance to participating fully in society, whether that is in personal or business matters.
“Broadway has impressed us by their enthusiasm for the challenge of providing this service to rural and underserved communities, and by embracing new technology and new business models to make it both possible and affordable.
“We are excited by the potential in this market and believe we are backing a first class management team at
Broadway that is well placed to make the most of the opportunity.”
Broadway has worked closely with the leaders in the shared spectrum industry such as Microsoft, Nominet and the universities of Strathclyde and King’s College London in developing the technology.
Michael Armitage, founder and chairman of Broadway, and Barry Weaver COO and CTO, said: “We are extremely pleased to have an investor of the calibre of Souter Investments supporting us in this exciting venture.
“People need to be connected, wherever they are, in town or country, at home or at work, and TV WhiteSpace is an important part of the mix of technologies that can guarantee that digital connectivity is available to fully 100% of the population.”
