Archive for the ‘SES Astra’ Category
SES ASTRA Signs Distribution Agreement for ASTRA2connect in Albania
SES ASTRA, an SES company, announced that it has closed a distribution agreement with Starsat to market its satellite broadband access ASTRA2Connect in Albania. Starsat has been serving customers with satellite-based broadband and data solutions since 2003. It has added ASTRA2Connect to its portfolio of services to offer its customers a reliable satellite broadband solution at competitive prices.
Starsat is also part of an initiative of the Albanian government which intends to equip Albanian schools with a broadband connection. The company will use ASTRA2Connect to install a satellite broadband connection for close to 600 schools in the rural areas of Albania. The project is realized by the Albanian Ministry of Education and financed by the Albanian government and the World Bank.
With more than 60,000 customers ASTRA2Connect is the largest satellite-based broadband network in Europe. Offering always-on and interactive broadband internet access for flat service fees, ASTRA2Connect is immediately available anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. ASTRA2Connect is marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers to the residential, industrial and maritime markets.
SES WORLD SKIES: An Ocean of Research via Satellite
With the Central Pacific well within reach, SES WORLD SKIES, a division of SES S.A. (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG), today announced that The Nature Conservancy has secured capacity on its NSS-9 satellite to link researchers studying the Palmyra reef islands with the outside world.
Located 1,000 miles south of Hawaii, remote Palmyra Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the recently-designated Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Here, The Nature Conservancy manages the most natural marine laboratory in the world, where a consortium of scientists can study the islands, reefs, lagoons and miles of oceans surrounding Palmyra in relative comfort.
Before connecting to the world via satellite technology, Palmyra was much more isolated. SES WORLD SKIES’ satellite-delivered broadband enables world-renowned scientists from the Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium (PARC) to deliver their research findings directly from Palmyra via email and use the internet to access other research online, collaborate with colleagues, and stay in touch with family. PARC is a highly collaborative partnership of researchers, conservationists and universities conducting innovative research on everything from climate and atmospheric change, to sharks and manta rays, and coral reefs and lagoon hydrology.
The Nature Conservancy is also tapping the NSS-9 satellite to link Palmyra to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminsitration’s (NOAA) worldwide tsunami alert system and to the Conservancy’s offices in Hawaii. This connectivity increases safety, as well as connectivity.
The 3-year agreement is a renewal of the original contract signed in 2006, when The Nature Conservancy and PARC scientists asked SES WORLD SKIES to provide reliable connectivity throughout one of the world’s most isolated island systems.
“Our satellite connection is the lifeblood of a vital international research operation in Palmyra,” explained Rico Gomez, Director of Internal Affairs for The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii. “The value of the reach and reliability of the satellite connectivity is immeasurable considering the long-term impact many of the island discoveries may have on our conservation efforts worldwide,” added Gomez.
“SES WORLD SKIES’ NSS-9 satellite and support team are playing a critical role in protecting island communities and exporting important new research from one of the most isolated locations in the world,” said Andrew Ruszkowski, Vice President of North America Enterprise Services for SES WORLD SKIES. “The relationship between The Nature Conservancy and SES WORLD SKIES represents the importance of science and communications without geographical limits.”
SES ASTRA adds French WIMAX Operator Wibox as Distribution Partner For ASTRA2Connect
SES ASTRA, an SES company, announced that it has signed an agreement with the French WIMAX operator Wibox for the distribution of its satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect. Wibox will offer SES ASTRA’s broadband access to end customers, small and home offices as well as small and medium enterprises especially in regions without terrestrial networks. The marketing will begin in July 2010.
“We are very delighted that Wibox has chosen ASTRA2Connect to extend its service portfolio for high speed internet connections”, said Norbert Willems, Managing Director of ASTRA Broadband Services, SES ASTRA’s broadband subsidiary. “Wibox is the first WIMAX operator to use our successful satellite broadband technology. The agreement will allow Wibox to provide 100% coverage everywhere in France without an additional investment into costly infrastructure.”
“The ASTRA2Connect solution allows Wibox to offer its subscribers a universal service, including those who are not connected to terrestrial networks,” said David El Fassy, President of Wibox. “Wibox can therefore always offer the right technical solution to connect its customers to the broadband internet – no matter where they live.”
With more than 60,000 end users, ASTRA2Connect is the most successful satellite broadband service in Europe. Offering always-on and interactive broadband internet access for flat service fees, ASTRA2Connect is immediately available anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. ASTRA2Connect is marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers to the residential, industrial and maritime markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.