Welsh channel S4C has agreed to appear on Inuk Networks’ Freewire service across the UK. S4C Digitol will be available to students in university residents around the country. Freewire is part of a triple play service delivered over the high speed JANET network. Students then access the network using a standard PC, although there are plans to extend this to the domestic environment. Earlier this month S4C began a streamed version of its digital channel.
A significant investor in Inuk networks is the Welsh-born businessman Sir Terry Matthews. “Many Welsh speakers rely on S4C for content that is directly relevant to them and which addresses their interests in a way other services cannot,” he said. Sir Terry was a founder of Newbridge Networks and is the chairman of investment company Wesley Clover.
University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) has been trialling the Inuk service and plans to formally introduce the service to students and staff at the start of the new academic year.