Virgin¹ Media has started trials to deliver fibre-optic high-speed broadband over telegraph poles.

维珍传媒已开始试验使用电线杆架设高速光纤宽带。

The trial will last for six months

The firm believes it could be used to extend its reach to another one million homes in the UK, mainly in rural areas.

The trial will initially² deliver 50 megabits per second (Mbps) broadband to the Berkshire village of Woolhampton.

The government has pledged to ensure that everyone in the country has access to（通向……的入口，接近） 2Mbps broadband by 2012 and ultrafast（超快的，超速的） speeds by 2017.

Neil Berkett, chief executive officer of Virgin Media, said the trial would allow the firm to "understand the possibilities of aerial（空中的，航空的） deployment³" that may provide a "new way to extend next generation broadband services".

Typically, fibre-optic cables（纤维光缆） are run through underground ducts（管道） . Some firms have also experimented with running cables through the sewer⁴（下水道，阴沟） network.

Virgin's trial is an attempt to bring faster broadband to people who live beyond the reach of its current network.

The trials will run for six months.

The government has said it will make available £200m to extend broadband coverage⁵ to the 15% of UK homes - predominantly（主要地，显著地） in rural areas - which do not receive broadband at 2Mbps.