17/03/2011
Hylas 1 tests are over, service starting next week
Avanti Communication announced that its Broadband Internet specialized satellite Hylas 1 has successfully completed all the in-Orbit tests required before opening the service to the customers. The testing process confirmed that HYLAS 1 is working in conformance with specification and, in some areas, delivering higher performance than originally specified. The satellite lifetime is expected to be at least six months greater than planned.

The first live customer service in the UK will be installed next week. Avanti has a test customer base of 5,000 end users whose service is delivered with leased Ku band capacity. The migration of these customers to HYLAS 1 will begin on April 4th.

Avanti has over 60 Virtual Network Operator customers in 16 countries in Europe who have bought capacity. Many of them are also migrating existing end user customers from leased Ku band capacity on other satellites and this migration also begins on April 4th.

14/03/2011
Germany: Sat Internet Service signed for KA-SAT and unveils its new offerings
Sat Internet Services GmbH has signed a distribution agreement in Germany for Eutelsat's Tooway Internet via satellite service on the new KA-SAT satellite for the next 3 years. The potential is important as 700,000 German households have no access to broadband, according to recent figures from TÜV Rheinland.

The new offerings of Sat Internet Services GmbH (AKA Toowaysat) range from 29.95 € to 99.95 € per month for transfer rate of 6 to 10 Mbps and volumes of data transfer from 4 to 25 GB per month. The connection kit for Tooway KA-SAT is offered for sale at € 199.95.
KA-SAT satellite is not yet in service, these offers will be operational from June.

More details on Sat Internet Services GmbH (Toowaysat) website.

06/03/2011
France : Sat2Way unveils its new Tooway Satellite Internet offers for KA-SAT
To mark the launch of its new website, Sat2Way, a French provider of Satellite Internet access, has unveiled its range of offerings for the new version of Tooway for KA-SAT, which is the official distributor for France. Sat2Way was also the first French company to distribute Tooway in France, it is now also the first to propose Tooway on KA-SAT offers in France.

The names of the new offerings are the same as before: "Basic", "Bronze", "Silver" and "Gold" for prices ranging from €27.90 for the "Basic" to €89.90 for the "Gold". Rates range from 6 to 10 Mb/s for transfer quota from 4 to 25 GB for 28 days (for both upload and download).

Details:
Basic subscription:
Sat2Way recommend this offer for everyday but moderate use of the Internet, including an occasional multimedia consultation (watching videos, listening to music, etc.).
- Download speed up to 6 Mbps
- Upload speed up to 1 Mbps
- bidirectional transfer quota: 4 GB / 28 days

Bronze subscription:
Sat2Way recommend this offer for daily use of the Internet including occasional multimedia consultation.
- Download speed up to 8 Mbps
- Upload speed up to 2 Mbps
- bidirectional transfer quota: 8 GB / 28 days

Silver subscription:
Sat2Way recommend this offer for extensive use of the Internet with regular multimedia consulting.
- Download speed up to 10 Mbps
- Upload speed up to 2 Mbps
- bidirectional transfer quota: 13 GB / 28 days

Gold subscription:
Sat2Way recommend this offer for intensive use of the Internet with daily multimedia consultation.
- Download speed up to 10 Mbps
- Upload speed up to 4 Mbps
- bidirectional transfer quota: 25 GB / 28 days

The Sat2Way Satellite Internet Connection Kit includes:
- A Tooway ViaSat Modem
- A Satellite Dish
- BUC (Block Up Converter)
- An Ethernet 1.5 meter cable (for connecting the ViaSat modem to a computer, an Ethernet router or Wi-Fi).

The price of this kit will be announced next week by Sat2Way. It will be accompanied by an introductory offer valid from 8 to 31 March 2011.

Recall that the KA-SAT is still being tested and that these new offerings from Sat2Way won't be functional before May 2011 (or even June), when KA-SAT will enter commercial service. Meanwhile, it is possible to order the connection kit, install it (or have it installed by an profesionnal) to be ready when the time comes (subscription taking effect as from the time the service will be available).

You can find the website address of Sat2Way in our directory of French Satellite Internet suppliers in France. Sat2Way is also delivering its connection kits and offers to Belgium and Spain.

04/03/2011
SES ASTRA to provide DSL on landlines using ASTRA2Connect
SES ASTRA has announced that it has launched a new solution to provide communities in areas without terrestrial broadband networks with its Internet via satellite broadband service ASTRA2Connect. It was presented at this year's digital technology exhibition CeBIT in Hannover, Germany.

The so-called sub-distribution service allows telecommunication operators and internet service providers everywhere in Europe to offer satellite-based broadband connections via the existing last mile infrastructure. The new technology will be showcased in Baden Württemberg, Germany, together with the Ministry of Rural Affairs, Nutrition and Consumer Protection and supported by technology partners Nokia Siemens Networks and NDSatCom.

The sub-distribution allows SES ASTRA to provide small communities in the white spots with broadband connections of up to 6 Mbit/s without households needing to install a satellite antenna at their homes. The satellite broadband connection using ASTRA2Connect is installed at the street cabinet of the community, and the broadband connection to the end customer is realized via the last mile infrastructure already in place. End customers just need a standard DSL modem, to access the broadband internet.

28/01/2011
New projects for Avanti and its Hylas-1 satellite
Avanti Communications signed 2 new contracts to further develop and demonstrate technology to deliver video to the edge of terrestrial networks using HYLAS 1 satellite capacity.

The first project, named "NXY", is a €500,000 project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), which will develop video caching technology in conjunction with Mpeg-4 IP broadcasting to lighten the video burden on mobile phone and fixed line ISPs networks, reducing network congestion and cost.

A second project worth £216,000 from the UK's Technology Strategy Board (TSB), "Digital Advanced Rural Testbed" (DART) is one of five "Networks Service Demonstrators" selected by the TSB to become national 'hotspots' where businesses will be able to test new business models, applications and services that can be supported by advanced, open and flexible networks and network services.