CeBIT – HANOVER – SES Astra and Filiago have launched their broadband satellite service Astra 2Connect with Filiago. The company unveiled the technology at last year’s IBC in Amsterdam. Filiago will market the broadband internet access service to end customers in Germany focusing on (rural) regions without terrestrial broadband access.
The satellite-based DSL infrastructure is the only possibility for these regions to access highspeed DSL-internet, thus preventing a “digital divide” for homes in the countryside.
According to official data from the German Ministry for Economy and Technology at least 2.9 million German homes still do not have any access to Broadband Internet.
The end user equipment consists of an interactive satellite antenna as well as a low-cost and satellite modem. The costs for the internet access range from €19.95 to €49.95 for a 256 kbit/s, 512 kbit/s or 1024 kbit/s flatrate plus a one-time registration fee of €99.95. The hardware ca either be purchased for €319.95 or leased for €9.95 per month.
Astra2Connect will also support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. It uses advanced technology which has been developed in cooperation with Newtec in Belgium and the European Space Agency (ESA). The new product is offered on a wholesale basis to large European service providers such as telecommunication operators, ISPS and broadband operators that target the residential and small enterprise markets. The company hopes to introduce the service in the very near future also in other European countries.
“[This is] a further step for SES Astra to deliver dual- and triple-play services by satellite to the German and European markets. With this product and through the cooperation with Filiago, households all over Germany will be able to benefit from an affordable and always-on two-way internet connectivity.””, said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES Astra in a prepared statement.
