A HIGH-SPEED internet computer “pod” worth more than £2,000 has been donated to the York Science Park.

The donors were NYnet, the organisation which aims to bring access to speedy internet to the whole of North Yorkshire, and York Data Services (YDS).

The pair jointly hosted a bespoke stand and launched the pods at the Venturefest Yorkshire event at York Racecourse early this year – providing free high-speed internet access to all delegates. The event was designed to bring together entrepreneurs with investors, many of them relying on wide computer band width.

The pods were initially designed to enable attendees to gain a first-hand experience of the possibilities that high-speed fibre-optic broadband can deliver.

It especially impressed journalists and photographers who wanted to upload bandwidth-intensive photographs and print-ready files to meet their tight print deadlines.

Julie Burton, NYnet’s economic development executive, said: “The pods are an excellent way to highlight what super-fast fibre-optic broadband has to offer the North Yorkshire community.

“They proved to be so successful at the Venturefest Yorkshire event that we – both YDS and NYnet – thought it would be a good idea to recycle and locate them in areas that they could be most appreciated. The York Science Park was top of the list.”

Mark Fordyce, York Data Services’ managing director, said: “The first pod has been installed in the Park Central cafe area within the York Science Park at Heslington.

“This provides visitors with a way to browse the Internet and check their emails ‘on the go’. Also, tenants who often hold informal business meetings within the cafe, now have the ability to view websites and demonstrate their innovations without the need to bring laptops along with them.”

The Internet access to the Pod will be controlled centrally by the YDS team from its York data centre.

NYnet, which was formed in collaboration between Yorkshire Forward and North Yorkshire County Council with funding from the European Union, provides an ultra-high-speed internet network to ensure North Yorkshire is not ‘left behind’ the rest of the world in the next phase of the internet revolution.