Arnisdale fibre questions – frequently asked and otherwise

Why are we doing this?

More precisely: why don’t we stay with Nanostations?

First, although we are still getting good speeds, the world is catching up, and I assume we want to stay ahead of the game. Many of you are already placing demands on the system (data rate and download volumes) that are well above the national average. This demand will surely increase.

Because we are operating in an unlicensed part of the spectrum, a lot of other electronic equipment (e.g. wireless routers) which operate at similar frequencies is starting to interfere with the network. In five years, Arnisdale has gone from (wireless) silence to an extremely noisy place. We could fix this by replacing the Nanostations with more advanced equipment operating at a different frequency, but why not spend the money on fibre – which gives us a lasting solution?

Why didn’t we lay fibre in the first place?

Because we could not have afforded it. Now, thanks to help from Marine Harvest, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and the University of Highlands and Islands, the subscriptions have accumulated to the point that we can at least make a start on a fibre network.