SES Astra has signed four new contracts for the provision of ASTRA one-way satellite broadband services at Europe's most popular orbital positions of 19.2¿ East and 28.2¿ East. The high-speed satellite Internet services via ASTRA specifically target those households in Germany, Hungary and the UK, who do not have access to terrestrial broadband services.
In Germany, SES Astra has contracted BBV-Computer-Dienst, a specialized IT service provider focusing on rural areas and the agricultural sector, who, in collaboration with the national Farmers' Association, has launched "AGROSAT". The "AGROSAT" service notably offers three different high-speed Internet access packages via ASTRA to the members of the Farmers' Association via its field offices.
Furthermore, in Germany, "Internetagentur Schott" is now providing a wide range of seven different satellite broadband services via ASTRA, either at flat rates or with variable service levels at different subscription prices.
In Hungary, EticS introduced a new Interactive Television Service for the Hungarian market. By leasing fully equipped PC's to Hungarian households for three years, EticS provides end users broadband access via satellite to the virtual city of Metropolis. EticS hereby takes profit from the main multicast and unicast applications for satellite data transmissions: 1) DSL-type services for accessing the Internet; 2) IP Streaming; 3) multicast and file delivery services to run and update the virtual city.
Last but not least, in the UK, SES Astra has teamed up with network and communications specialist AVC Europe to launch the UK's first nationwide consumer broadband internet-via-satellite service on ASTRA, branded AVC Broadband. This high-speed package offers to the end-user download speeds in excess of 512kbit/s – more than ten times faster than 56kbit/s phone line modems – with unlimited access to the Internet, and will be available across the UK at a competitive price as from 1 January 2004.
States Peter Sch¿ler, Vice President Sales, Broadband & IP at SES Astra: "Our aim is to provide a satellite alternative for high-speed Internet access to households in the various European markets, who do not have access to terrestrial broadband networks. With these four new services on ASTRA, in addition to the already existing offers, we are steadily moving towards that objective."
