Newtec VSAT systems expand SES satellite broadband services

Satellite broadband equipment from Newtec is helping to expand the high-speed, high-capacity broadband services offered by SES Broadband Services.

The Newtec-SES collaboration develops the ASTRA Ka-band services offered by SES Broadband. Using Newtec VSAT systems, ISPs can access the SES Broadband satellite network and tap the services from the new Ka-band hubs at SES' headquarters in Castle Betzdorf, Germany.

Newtec will deliver the initial orders of its MDM2200 Ka-band consumer terminals to the ISPs that distribute SES Broadband services across Europe. The ISPs will pay special attention to regions that lack sufficient terrestrial broadband connectivity and offer voice, data and television services to consumers in those remote regions.

The Newtec MDM2200 satellite broadband platform can access both Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies. It is capable of hitting download speeds of up to 22 Mbps and can facilitate a broad selection of applications.

The collaboration between Newtec and SES Broadband Services started in 2007. Newtec has delivered and installed more than 120,000 of its Ku-band VSAT terminals since then, and its Ku-band terminals can easily be upgraded to Ka-band.

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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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Signalhorn secures AMOS-5 Ku-band capacity from Spacecom for African broadband solutions

Satellite operator Spacecom recently announced that it will provide Ku-band capacity from its AMOS-5 communications satellite to Signalhorn for the latter company's broadband Internet-by-satellite services in the African market.

Based in Europe, Signalhorn offers satellite communications solutions to customers in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It will use the new capacity it acquired from Spacecom to provide satellite broadband connectivity to Southern African retail businesses.

According to Signalhorn, its tailored enterprise communications solution requires a high-speed Internet-by-satellite service that can be reliably accessed throughout a majority of Southern Africa. Signalhorn selected the AMOS-5 Ku-band platform operated by Spacecom to help the former company deliver end-to-end solutions to its clients.

Spacecom and Signalhorn joined forces in developing a data communications solution that can cover Africa. AMOS-5 once more places itself at the service of communication service providers and broadcasters throughout the southern half of the African continent.

Entering commercial operations in January 2012, AMOS-5 serves as a prime carrier of African satellite communications traffic. From its 17°E orbital slot, the Spacecom satellite directs C-band and Ku-band beams that deliver broadcast and data services throughout Africa on behalf of companies like Signalhorn.

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Dish Network debuts dishNET satellite broadband service

Starting this October, Dish Network will be bringing their much-touted Ku-band satellite broadband services to American customers. Its new Internet-from-satellite service is called dishNET and is rolled into Dish’s satellite TV service. Customers who subscribe to both services will get a monthly discount of $10.

In an announcement, Mr. Joseph Clayton, CEO of Dish Network, said that the company was launching a “revolutionary” consumer broadband service that will bring high-speed Internet to rural markets nationwide. “With nearly one-in-four rural residents lacking a high-speed connection, reaching these underserved markets is vital,” he explained. “Our mission is to provide broadband at an outstanding value with fast speeds and large data plans.”

The basic dishNET package offers 5 Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps upload speeds with a monthly data plan that maxes out at 10 GB. It costs $39.99 a month. Dish’s other satellite broadband Internet service offers double the download speed (10 Mbps) and a maximum data plan of 20 GB while retaining the same 1 Mbps upload speed. The second plan costs an extra $10.

Dish has been able to decrease the price of satellite broadband to make it more economically accessible for rural areas that have made do with DSL connections for the past decade. In addition, dishNET uses the well-established Ku-band to deliver high speeds.

For those leery of inclement weather and other disruptions cutting off their Internet-by-satellite connectivity, Dish Network also offers a wired broadband solution. The most expensive of the three wired options costs as much as the basic dishNET service and has double the download speed and a bigger data plan. Of course, this particular set of broadband Internet options requires a landline connection in the first place.

The new high-speed Internet-on-satellite service will be available wherever Dish Network can deliver its service. Coincidentally, Dish has nationwide coverage, including plenty of rural communities that can now enjoy faster Internet speeds thanks to Dish's new satellite broadband solution.