Gilat connects Peruvian schools with satellite broadband connectivity

Gilat Satellite Networks won a contract with the Peruvian Ministry of Education to link up thousands of schools across Peru using satellite broadband connectivity.

The Company will provide, install, maintain, and deliver technical support for SkyEdge II-c hub and 'Aries' VSAT equipment to 2,600 schools throughout Peru. The deal is worth $12.8 million and will span three years.

The SkyEdge II-c Aries VSAT platform is a cost-effective platform capable of providing high-speed Internet from satellite services and FUP Fair Use Policy.

Peru is seeking to balance out its educational disparities with measures such as the satellite broadband deal with Gilat. Sandro Marcone Flores, head of the Directorate General of Educational Technologies, explained that the South American country sought to bring computer technology to an increasing number of school children using satellite broadband and other methods. 

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SABER satellite broadband project kicks off in Europe

The biennial Satellite Broadband for European Regions (SABER) project has been officially launched. The project intends to deliver satellite broadband connectivity to an estimated 10 million households in Europe that still lack it.

The objectives of the project were set out in European Digital Agenda, Europe 2020. Local, regional, and national authorities throughout Europe will be provided with guidelines regarding the use of high-speed Internet by satellite technologies as well as the method to connect remote, unconnected areas with the rest of the Continent.

The project is coordinated by CSI Piedmont. It counts Astrium, Eutelsat Communications, SES Broadband Services, 21 regional bodies, and both public and private ICT companies from thirteen countries as its partners for the project.

The European Union supplied 510,000 euros to the SABER satellite broadband project as part of the ICT Policy Support Program.

skyDSL, Eutelsat enter agreement for satellite broadband capacity from KA-SAT

German satellite Internet services provider skyDSL Global GmbH has ssigned a new five-year contract with satellite operator Eutelsat for multiple spotbeam capacity on the KA-SAT satellite broadband platform. The contract also includes an option for an extra five years.

The agreement allows skyDSL to access selected service areas of KA-SAT, increasing the rate of its deployment of consumer satellite broadband services throughout Europe.

skyDSL possesses more than a decade's worth of experience in delivering high-quality Internet on satellite solutions. This includes 18 months of providing satellite broadband services through the KA-SAT satellite operated by Eutelsat.

Based in Berlin, the Company's skyDSL2+ brand offers a portfolio of Internet access and triple play services to customers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, and the Benelux. Its diverse sales channels commercialize services with download speeds of up to 20 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 6 Mbps. SkyDLS customers include consumers, small businesses, utility providers, industrial companies, government and aid intervention agencies.

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Yahsat, truIT join forces to offer YahClick satellite broadband in Uganda

A recent partnership between Yahsat and TruIT will introduce the YahClick satellite broadband service in Uganda.

YahClick is a high-capacity Internet from satellite service that will deliver connectivity to Ugandan consumers in the home, banking, construction, educational, government, healthcare, manufacturing, media, NGOs, and oil and gas markets.

TruIT plans to fill the gap in broadband coverage in the remote and underserved regions of Uganda with the help of Yahsat and its YahClick satellite broadband service.

First founded as a web design and hosting company, TruIT has transformed itself into a provider of IT integration services. It received a public service provider license from the Uganda Communications Commission back in December 2012, allowing the Company to offer voice and data services to Ugandan customers.

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Habitat for Humanity taps Hughes for satellite broadband during Queens, NY reconstruction

Hughes Network Systems is providing satellite broadband services to Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, NY as the latter rebuilds homes in Breezy Point in Queens, NY that had been devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

Habitat for Humanity is coordinating the reconstruction of the homes of Breezy Point residents from a nearby command center equipped with satellite communications technology. The command center can access broadband Internet by satellite and voice services through Hughes' new Internet Access Solutions.

The Hughes broadband Internet by satellite solution leverages the EchoStar 17 satellite. The next generation Ka-band satellite deploys JUPITER high-throughput technology that can deliver satellite internet speeds of up to 15 Mbps.

The Disaster Preparedness Registry of the Global VSAT Forum helped Habitat for Humanity to identify the satellite resources that will be needed by their command center. In addition, a Cisco on-site TacOps team provided customers with services such as a connection switch for their computers, access to wireless Wi-Fi, and a call manager for their phones.

RuSat debuts new VSAT satellite broadband solution in Russia

Russian satellite service provider RuSat reported the debut of a new satellite broadband service that leveraged the newest VSAT hub and end-user terminal technology from Newtec.

The new RuSat service will tap the Yamal-402 satellite deployed by Gazprom Space Systems back in December 2012 to deliver fast and affordable satellite broadband connectivity throughout the entirety of Russia, where VSAT services had previously been expensive and limited in coverage.

The Newtec VSAT terminals will initially use Ku-band. Upgrading their interactive LNB will allow them to use Ka band without the need to adapt hardware to the satellite modem or the antenna.

RuSat already has its first customer for its satellite broadband service. Internet service provider Raduga Internet will provide the consumer market with satellite Internet services using RuSat's solution. 

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Sea Launch sends Intelsat 27 to equator for launch

The Intelsat 27 broadband satellite is on its way aboard a Sea Launch vessel for its January 30, 2013 (Pacific Standard Time) launch aboard a Zenit-3SL rocket.

Intelsat 27 will be sharing the 304.5 degrees East orbital position with the Intelsat 805 and Galaxy 11 satellites.

Built upon the Boeing 702MP platform, the Intelsat 27 is a geostationary broadband satellite with a planned service life of at least 15 years. It will carry a UHF communications payload for military customers and will be able to deliver satellite broadband services to customers in North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, and Europe.

The successful launch of Intelsat 27 will complete the first global broadband mobility platform in the world. The Intelsat satellite will deliver uninterrupted satellite broadband connectivity to terrestrial, maritime, and airborne customers. 

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