31 March 2006

The first ever live BBC news reports have been broadcast via broadband.

The broadcasts were trialled by Helen Fawkes, a BBC correspondent in Kiev who used her laptop to send live two-way interviews via the Internet this week.

It marks the initial step by the BBC to providing all journalists working in worldwide BBC bureaux the ability to broadcast live two-way interviews direct to BBC news programmes.

The BBC is keen to pursue broadcasting via broadband as it promises to be a more cost effective method than sending live reports via satellite.

"The cost of sending live reports over broadband is a fraction of those incurred with live satellite broadcasts," commented Fran Unsworth, head of newsgathering.

The first reports sent via broadband were broadcast from the correspondent's balcony in her Kiev flat, where she reported on the Ukrainian elections just using her home broadband connection.

© Adfero Ltd

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