One of England's most remote mainland locations is now the home for what is believed to be the world's fastest internet café. BT's Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, has launched the high-speed cyber café at its popular visitors centre.

The café's computers, connected to BT's highly sophisticated global IP (internet protocol) network, are able to download data at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbits/s). This is up to 50 times faster than a typical broadband installation at home.

To power the internet café, BT has chosen equipment from some of the world's best known technology companies, including banks of Apple iMacs, routing and VoIP technology provided by Cisco, and Sennheiser headphones on each workstation.

BT Vice President Technology & Innovation, Gary Shainberg said: "We were looking for a headphone that demonstrated all the benefits of unquestionable sound quality, durability, long term comfort, and sound isolation to shield the ambient noise inherent in a visitor centre. Having seen Sennheiser headphones in use in the Apple Store I knew that we had to give them serious consideration and the HD205's answered all our questions."

Adrian Hosford, director of Corporate Responsibility for BT, who hosted the launch, said: "Connected to the network of the future, what we believe is the world's fastest internet café will allow people to experience for themselves online speeds, which are part of a future enabling us to do all things differently.  

"For example, it would be possible to use the café's computers to download in less than 15 minutes a file the equivalent size of the DVD version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica with its 19,000 illustrations, 629 audio and video clips and 100,000 articles. A standard broadband connection would typically take in excess of five hours. We are pleased to work with world class companies such as Sennheiser to deliver this 'must see' attraction for the visitors centre at Goonhilly."

In addition to the facilities normally expected from an Internet Café, Steven Farnell, the Visitor Centre Manager, has stated that the fast download speeds means they will be expanding the free service to include music downloads, movie trailers, live stream radio and TV, and BT Vision which is a new broadband service that includes content from Endemol, BBC Worldwide and Warner Music Group.