Much has been made of Wayne Rooney, the 18-year-old wunderkind whose talent lit up the Euro 2004 football tournament.

Now, in 17-year-old Harry Aldridge, the business world could be about to witness its own genius.

An A-level student at Hurstpierpoint College, Harry is the founder and chief executive of Bluenowhere, a broadband internet service provider.

He established the company in February last year, at just 16, because he wanted a high-speed internet connection at his home in Pulborough.

Broadband has only recently been introduced to the West Sussex village but some homes are still beyond the reach of BT's cables.

To counter the problem, Harry decided to create a company to deliver wireless internet technology, which operates on various radio frequencies.

Bluenowhere took part in a government auction for a wireless licence on one of the premium frequencies but was out-bid by companies with more financial clout.

But since the setback, Harry has forged links with specialists and major suppliers, including Hewlett Packard, and got his plans back on track.

He aims to deliver a wireless service, which can be used by homes and businesses across Sussex and beyond, by the start of next year.

Harry said: "I decided to form Bluenowhere out of frustration at not having broadband where I live - and it is the same for a lot of rural communities. BT dominates the broadband market and you have to pay a hefty fee to use its cables so I started doing some research into wireless internet.

"I have managed to get some specialists and suppliers on board who have a lot more experience than me. Now its just a question of bringing everything together.

"We supply the customers with the equipment they need to use wireless broadband so our coverage can be as big as its gets."

On Friday, Bluenowhere helped trial wireless technology at the college's sports day, attended by more than 27 schools.

Bluenowhere, two other sixth-form students and head of information technology Richard Hurley developed a software package for the event. Lane allocations, results and certificate presentations were all fed on to giant scoreboards via transmitters and there were no hitches.

Headteacher Stephen Meek said: "Harry makes you feel old. I think what he is doing is fantastic and I can say that because he is out of earshot.

"He has a very amiable personality and is very confident speaking with people with a lot more experience who have been in the industry for years.

"The fact some really big companies are supporting him and are prepared to work means they must think he can really achieve something."

Tuesday June 29, 2004