A REDUNDANT rural water tower is getting a new lease of life as a transmitter for superfast wireless broadband.

The tower is at Lovesome Hill, four miles north of Northallerton, and will benefit properties which cannot receive superfast broadband through their telephone line.

Around 90 per cent of North Yorkshires properties will be able to receive superfast broadband by October, thanks to the Superfast North Yorkshire project, a partnership between the county council and BT.

The final ten per cent are in remoter locations, away from an enabled BT cabinet.

But, increasingly, they can be reached using innovative technologies such as fixed wireless broadband which uses high frequency radio waves.

This is where the Lovesome Hill Water Tower is to play its strategic role.

Clannet Broadband, also a partner of Superfast North Yorkshire, will use the tower to distribute superfast wireless broadband to any property in its line of sight.

The ability to see the tower is vital as the high frequency radio waves travel at near the speed of light and do not bend around or go through obstacles like lower frequency waves.

Nick Hall, a director of Clannet, said: “Many people living in remote locations are frustrated that they won’t be able to get broadband via their telephone line.

“I am delighted that we are going to be able to bring them superfast wireless broadband thanks to our use of the water tower as a relay station.”

Anyone interested in receiving superfast wireless broadband from Clannet should contact Nick Hall on 0845 564 52 56 or visit clannet.co.uk.

To help eligible businesses take advantage of the faster speeds a support service offers free training workshops, skills master classes and business development events.

Call 0845 002 0021 or email enquiries@sfny.co.uk.