Skylogic, the broadband subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications, and Sat Internet Services GmbH have sealed a distribution agreement for broadband services using the powerful KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite. According to figures published by industry analysts of TÜV Rheinland, approximately 770,000 German homes have no broadband access, with up to a further four million homes constrained by a 2 Mbps service. The initial three-year contract, worth more than €5 M, will enable Sat Internet Services to market Eutelsat‘s next generation Tooway™ service to users across Germany. The innovative service, will offer download speeds of up to 10 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 4 Mbps.
Tooway™ will be provided via Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite, which was launched in December 2010. As Europe’s first High-Throughput Satellite (HTS), with total capacity of more than 70 Gbps, it is ushering in a new era of competitively-priced satellite-delivered services for homes and businesses across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. KA-SAT uses next-generation two-way wireless Ka-band spotbeam technology, which lowers the cost of providing high bandwidth access to the Internet. The complete KA-SAT infrastructure, comprising the satellite and a network of eight gateways across Europe connected to the Internet via a fiber backbone ring, will enter service in mid-2011.
Commenting on the selection of Tooway, Dr. Victor Kühne, Managing Director of Sat Internet Services GmbH, said, “Leading German telecom operators with universal service obligations regard Tooway as an ideal complementary solution for delivering broadband Internet in any location. Our objective is to operate Tooway for large operators under a white label, alleviating the need for them to deploy a structure to support a satellite-based system for users in often remote locations. This positioning makes Sat Internet Services an ideal partner for operators looking for complementary solutions.”
Arduino Patacchini, CEO of Skylogic, added, “We are delighted to strike this new relationship with Sat Internet Services. Despite the roll-out of high-speed terrestrial broadband infrastructure, Germany faces the same challenge as other European countries to build an inclusive digital economy for all users and enterprises. We are convinced that the performance of Tooway through KA-SAT empowers satellite broadband to contribute to achieving this goal.”
