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The Telegraph reported HERE that specially trained ferrets are being used to deliver broadband to rural areas following groundbreaking techniques used by an internet provider.


The animals have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service, the company has disclosed.

The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network.

The development could help increase broadband in current Internet "dead zones", giving access to inaccessible places, and and helping bridge the 'digital divide'.

Currently most broadband technologies are limited to short distances from central switching offices so most companies focus on cities to keep costs down.

The government has set a target of universal broadband access of 2Mbps by 2012. Analysts estimate that the cost of running fibre optic cables to all parts of the country could cost anywhere between £10 billion and £25 billion. A 50p levy of every phone line in the country has been proposed to cover costs.

Currently around two million homes, one in 10 households, are without broadband.

Jon James, director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: "For hundreds of years, ferrets have helped humans in various jobs. Our decision to use them is due to their strong nesting instinct, their long, lean build and inquisitive nature, and for their ability to get down holes. We initially kept the trial low-key as we wanted to assess how well the ferrets fitted into our operations before revealing this enterprising scheme."

Ferrets have been used to run cables through hard-to-reach places in the past.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the article from The Telegraph.

A P R I L  F O O L!!!! 

:-)