Cable Radio
Company: MistralCustomer: Cable RadioSubmitted by: Nelson Bostock CommunicationsDate: Summer 2000From breakfast banter to broadband – taking the airwaves online Cable Radio has bumped up its ratings and benefited hugely from its ongoing relationship with Mistral Internet, the business-focused ISP which has enabled the radio station to support high-speed connectivity with ADSL.
Cable Radio, a small radio station based in Worthing, launched in March 2000 when technology finally allowed it to develop from concept to reality. Initially only available on the local cable TV network, and broadcast to around 43,000 homes in the Sussex region, Cable Radio quickly looked to expand its listener base and the natural solution was to go online.” We looked at the leased line possibilities but our enquiries showed it to be prohibitively expensive and not necessarily appropriate for our needs,” said Rashid Mustapha, of Cable Radio. ” We then shifted our focus towards ADSL but the majority of ISPs we approached either couldn’t deliver or discouraged ADSL as a viable option. We chose Mistral because it combined sound advice with the fastest response time as well as offering the high quality technology, knowledge and support levels essential to maintaining a reliable service.
Since we had it installed in August 2000, we’ve gone from strength to strength.”Even after just a week it was evident that the new system was having a positive effect and one which was to be enhanced further by Cable Radio’s decision to co-locate its server in Telehouse – again a service provided by Mistral. With ADSL connected at a downstream speed of 1mb, the higher bandwidth instantly facilitated Cable Radio’s need to stream music to thousands simultaneously. It also allowed for an email link to be established from the studio enabling the station to fully interact with its listeners.ADSL1000 costs less than £2000 per annum and includes the router, configuration, installation and service itself – in stark contrast to leased line connectivity which is typically quoted at upwards of £10,000.
Mistral’s provision of fast internet via ADSL therefore made both business and economic sense to Cable Radio.Steve Spink, MD of Mistral Internet, comments: “Businesses throughout the UK are starting to recognize that ADSL can mean lower costs and significantly superior speed and quality of service. Cable Radio is a prime example of how broadband can revolutionize the way in which we work and Mistral will continue to help it to broadcast to the internet nation.”Mistral’s ADSL service transformed Cable Radio, and its sister station Love Music Radio, into the first high quality stereo internet stations in the UK. Cable Radio streams live, in MP3 format on its web sites at www.lovemusicradio.com, and www.cableradio.co.uk.
