JERSEY is now one of the leading broadband markets in Europe with over 50% of homes having a high-speed internet connection, putting the Island ahead of the UK and France in terms of penetration.

And the growth in popularity of broadband has spurted in recent weeks with connection providers Jersey Telecom and Newtel Solutions running promotions to encourage more people to sign up. Jersey Telecom (JT) reported 1,500 new customers in just over six weeks. Normally only about 300 would sign up in such a period. Newtel say they signed up 400 customers in the three days of the Home and Lifestyle Exhibition at Fort Regent in November. Newtel were still collating exact figures but said they did not expect to be too far behind JT’s numbers for their promotion. Both companies are offering customers free connection and six months’ half-price rental on broadband packages. The JT deal has some download limits after which a charge is made but the Newtel package has no restrictions on use. Both companies have also upgraded broadband connection speed fourfold from 512kb to 2mb. The increase in connection speed is particularly useful for downloading content from multimedia websites such as the youtube.com and myspace.com sites. The faster speed makes it quicker to download content such as music, films and games from the web. Meanwhile, connectivity is likely to improve even more next year when Jersey Telecom complete work on a new cable link from the UK named Project Liberty. JT managing director Bob Lawrence said the new cable will strengthen the Island’s economy by improving links and help make Jersey an even more attractive place to do business. Project Liberty will see a custom-made, high capacity fibre optic cable laid between the English south coast and L’Ancresse Bay on the northwest tip of Guernsey. The cable will then be connected to Jersey, and onward to France, creating a resilient, ultra high capacity network. The first stage of the project, due to start soon, will be to conduct a five- to seven-day sonar survey of the seabed along the proposed cable route. A specialist sonar survey ship will be used and will determine the most efficient route for the cable. It will also reveal any hazardous undersea terrain to be negotiated. JT will be working with the specialist marine division of BT Global Services, which will act as expert contractors.

Once the route has been defined, the cable will be custom manufactured before it is laid during 2007.

Mr Lawrence said that over last three years JT had invested over £11 million in next-generation network technology.

He said this technology will allow services such as ultra-high speed broadband access.

He said Project Liberty was essential to provide the next generation of fixed, mobile and broadband services based on data and internet technologies.

Mr Lawrence said JT is currently liaising with interested groups in Guernsey to ensure the project goes ahead with the minimum of disruption to residents.