A new internet system, which operates at a speed around 40 times faster than an average home computer, is being introduced at Greendown School.

The new initiative, which uses broadband technology, is being brought in as part of a Government initiative to introduce widespread advanced technology into schools.

Swindon Council is working with a consortium of four other local authorities, including Bath and North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, North Somer-set and South Gloucestershire, to introduce the new technology to schools in the area.

The consortium will receive £206,000 worth of finding for the project by April.

The broadband technology operates at a speed of two megabytes per second, which is 20 times faster than current ISDN connections.

This increased speed means the computers can be used for a number of complicated tasks, and allows much more complex interaction between computers in real time.

The new system will be launched at Greendown School on Friday, by North Swindon MP Michael Wills, who is also the Government's under-secretary for learning and technology.

Swindon Council's lead member for lifelong learning, Coun Chris Eley, said: "Swindon is very pleased to be hosting the launch of the Regional Broadband Project.

"This is a particularly welcome Government initiative, building as it does in the National Grid for Learning, which has already seen considerable resources going into schools in support of ICT.

"Broadband provides all those involved with the capacity to handle the enormous potential which exists for ICT to underpin and support the learning of pupils, which is after all, what it is all about."

As well as allowing pupils to interact with other computers in real time, the new system will also:

Allow large numbers of students to be able to access on-line resources simultaneously.

Allow students to communicate in real time using things like video conferencing.

Provide opportunities for teaching and learning to be disseminated to a wide range of audiences in the same location, such as with video presentations.

And provide the potential to develop links to local sites such as museums, art galleries and historical exhibitions and resources to support teaching and learning, including interactive learning.