The University of Abertay, Dundee, is investing £300,000 to give its staff and students fast-track access to the information superhighway.
The new computer network, Abertay GigaNet, will be 40 times faster than the current four-year-old system and capable of handling more complex graphics, video and audio. Abertay plans to roll out the new network over the next academic year with the heaviest users migrating first. The cash is being spent on new network hardware, using the existing high-speed fibre-optic cable infrastructure to link the main campus with the university library and two other key sites.
Every registered user on the Abertay network will be able to access it from outside the campus in the medium term, whether from home or other institutions around the world. This includes users in local outreach programmes in Tayside and overseas students.