Satellite broadband promises "no more notspots"

 

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Posted on 27 Jan 2009 at 15:08

Eurosat is looking to fill in the UK's broadband black holes with a new satellite broadband offering.

Unlike previous satellite broadband packages, Eurosat's Astra2Connect package distinguishes itself by not requiring a landline for uplink, meaning the package could prove a god send for those in truly isolated areas. However, it's not a cheap option.

The hardware bundle needed to get up-and-running costs £?300, which buys you the satellite, modem and cabling. Installation is an extra £?100, though the company says that "anybody who can put up a set of shelves" will be able to set up and configure the satellite themselves.

There's a range of connection options, all of which offer unlimited data. They begin at 256Kb/sec with a 64Kb/sec upload for £19.99 per month and peak at 2Mb/sec with 128Kb/sec upload speeds for an eye-watering £?75.99 per month.

All customers are required to take out a 12-month contract and the quoted prices are for people who pay for the year in advance. Anybody who'd like to pay monthly needs to add an extra £5 per month for the privilege.

The service is also subject to a fair-usage policy which sees "heavy-users" throttled "depending on the needs of the network" though the company was unable to supply a definition of "heavy user" when questioned.

While the prices may seem high in relation to average broadband prices, Mike Locke, special projects officer at Eurosat, was keen to point out that the service is pitched squarely at those for whom ADSL isn't an option.

"This will never be as cheap or fast as terrestrial broadband, there's been a huge amount of investment in that infrastructure and we're not trying to compete with that," he said.

"We're trying to fill in the gaps for those people around the country who can't get access to other broadband services, and never will. We're offering an alternative to dial-up."

Author: Stuart Turton