Eutelsat Communications has today announced plans for a high-speed broadband service in the UK which will be delivered by the company’s satellite network. The communications module is based in Portsmouth and upon completion will be transferred to the company’s French operation from which the new UK satellite broadband service will be launched in the later part of 2010.
The company already has a 3.6 Mb per second service available in the UK to those in more rural areas but the new system will see speeds of up to 10 Mb per second available across the UK. As the service depends upon satellite communication it is irrelevant how far from the nearest telephone exchange each customer is therefore it could prove vital in allowing the UK government to fulfil its promise of superfast broadband across the UK by 2020.
For many years satellite broadband has been ignored and written off although developments in this market have picked up speed over the last few years. Many believe that satellite broadband will become an integral part of the UK broadband sector as a means of delivering to some of the more far-flung places of the UK. However, the initial set-up cost for satellite broadband customers will be significantly higher than that for traditional broadband users but this, for many people, will be a small price to pay for long-term connectivity.