The aims of the SchoolCast trials were the following:

• Test content delivery via multicast and caching using various service modes: on-demand or previously expressed, pre-requested, triggered.
• Develop a service platform that meets the needs of teachers, administrators, content providers and stakeholders including the NCTE.
• Set up methods of monitoring the effectiveness of the service, including methods for logging and feedback for the content providers.

Efficient management of this integrated service was achieved by designing and building the SchoolCast system, with a view on:

• Equal quality of content delivery everywhere,
• Greater sharing of knowledge of good sites, and information for particular uses (content library, eLearning portal) plus enabling provision of files, multimedia and streaming content,
• Simple user interface for managing, requesting, monitoring, operating multicasts and caching,
• Monitoring and statistics gathering (for all parties involved).

Content is web content (this way the system virtually enhances school connectivity) or any other content (e-mail, software, streaming or multimedia).