BRITAIN'S oldest brewer, Faversham-based Shepherd Neame, has joined forces with the new Kent-based wireless broadband provider Telabria to bring cutting edge technology to rural communities through its pubs.

The project, launched at The Chequers Inn, Doddington, will allow everyone living in rural Kent communities not currently served by broadband to access the high-speed technology cost-effectively. The pub acts as the hub.

Figures compiled by Telabria show that less than 25 per cent of the population has access to broadband in market towns and less than seven per cent in rural areas.

The project will be trialled at three rural pubs -- The Plough and Harrow, Bridge and The New Flying Horse, Wye, as well as The Chequers -- and the Royal Hotel, Deal and finishes on March 31, 2004.

The trial will be carried out in three phases. The first will include an in-pub service known as a "WiFi hotspot" where all customers will be able to access the Internet wirelessly at high speed using a WiFi enabled laptop or handheld computer.

The second will start in January 2004 and will establish demand for residential service in the trial areas.

The third will see the deployment of a wireless community network or rural mesh network to provide broadband access from each customer's home or business by connecting them to the pub hub, which is in turn connected to the Internet.

The firm aims to have 3,000 subscribers, each paying £30 a month, within a year.

There scheme secures a revenue stream for the brewer for use of each pub. But Shepherd Neame also sees it as helping the community.

Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame said: "Rural pubs are the mainstay of our pub estate and play an invaluable role at the heart of the communities they serve.

"We are always looking for ways to develop the facilities in our pubs, particularly in rural communities and have recently launched initiatives with the Royal Mail to preserve Post Office amenities.

"This new broadband initiative with Telabria is very exciting and has in our view huge potential for developing facilities in Shepherd Neame pubs and other pubs in rural communities elsewhere in the country."

Telabria's chief executive Jim Baker said: "Shepherd Neame and Telabria have come together with a common goal -- to serve rural communities. We're confident that our service will be received enthusiastically by people who are frustrated by the pace of broadband implementation and who are looking for a viable alternative."

For more information call 0845 658 1940 (Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm) or log on to www.telabria.com/kentconnected/.