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Signal minded

Prague-based SATdsl will link with Avanti's satellite to provide services in remote areas

September 17th, 2008 issue

By Stephan Delbos

COURTESY PHOTO
Avanti Chief Executive David Williams checks out the work in progress at the UK-based plant building the company's Hylas 1 satellite.
Staff Writer
Weak Wi-Fi signals and spotty mobile networks in outlying regions of the Czech Republic will be getting a boost from a new satellite about to be launched in Florida.
Avanti Communications Group plc announced its winning bid for a contract with Prague-based SATdsl to provide the Czech Republic with satellite-linked Internet services. SATdsl will connect to Avanti’s London hub, linking them directly to Hylas 1, the new satellite Avanti will launch in autumn 2009. The satellite will be focused on Central Europe, providing Internet access in regions inaccessible by other means.
“We can now address niche markets where there aren’t mobile services,” said Aart Strang, the managing director and owner of SATdsl. “We have a huge capacity to offer bandwidth at lower prices. This allows us to provide a service which is competitive with terrestrial alternatives such as broadband and wireless Internet.”
Strang estimates up to 1 million homes in the Czech Republic have no access to basic Internet and mobile services, typically in areas too remote or mountainous to link up with traditional broadband. With the satellite connection, SATdsl will be able to provide Internet in remote regions for a price that won’t be too much higher than broadband.
The contract with SATdsl, valued at £100,000 ($179,315/3.1 million Kč) over three years, marks Avanti’s first entry into the Czech Republic and a significant step into the Central European market. But that’s just a step in the door as it gives the company access to 1.8 billion euros ($2.5 billion/44.7 billion Kč) in funding for rural broadband projects from the European Commission (EC).
“The EC has set aside funding for rural broadband projects in 79 regions across Europe. Our strategy of working with small local partners positions us well to access this budget,” Avanti’s chief executive David Williams said in a press release.
For the Czech Republic, this strategy means Avanti provides satellite broadband services that SATdsl will distribute. Rather than setting up a branch in Prague or sending representatives, Avanti will lease satellite capacity to SATdsl, allowing them to distribute broadband Internet with a minimum of interference.
“We can completely control the service,” Strang said. “We’re logged into the London hub. We connect customers and define the services while making use of Avanti’s platform in the UK.”
The main advantage of the type of Internet access provided by SATdsl and the Hylas 1 satellite is that it utilizes KA band traffic, rather than KU or C band, which are more common in older methods of connection. Because KA has a higher frequency, there is a better satellite footprint throughout Europe, which for consumers means smaller satellite dishes and less chance of signal interference.
“A house only needs a 75- to 90-centimeter dish and a small modem inside,” Strang said.
Until Hylas 1 is launched next year, SATdsl will continue marketing its Internet services throughout Central Europe while planning an expansion into the Balkans and further east in regions previously inaccessible.
“We’re looking forward to a great cooperation with Avanti,” Strang said. “We’d like to set up new services wherever they have a footprint.”
SATdsl has provided equipment and telecom services to the Czech Republic for six years, after an initial 2001 startup as Astrocom Technologies. Since then, the company has provided network systems in the Central European region and installation and maintenance of Internet services in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Its contract with Avanti provides the company the ability to provide the most recent technology.
“We contracted with Avanti because they have a very exciting new service with the launch of their satellite,” Strang said. “For broadcasting, satellite is the future. These services haven’t been available until now,” he added.
Avanti began its London-based operations in 1996 by providing satellite communication services for businesses and private customers. The company has grown steadily, securing contracts and grant funds to provide broadband satellite services to inaccessible areas. In May 2008, the company was awarded the Scottish Executive’s contract to deploy broadband services to rural Scotland as part of the Scottish government’s Broadband Reach Programme.
Avanti will be the United Kingdom’s only satellite service provider with the launch of Hylas 1 and one of only eight in Europe. The satellite will provide access to rural regions throughout Europe where the company hopes to provide a range of services, including broadband telecom networks, corporate data, business-to-business connections and military security technologies.
Avanti is not focused solely on satellite communications and its strategy includes a broader look at delivering media.
“Avanti does not just want to be a satellite operator — we are already a media owner and want to extend this model into consumer markets,” Avanti’s Williams said in a press release. “We expect to see major changes in the landscape of European broadcasting in the next 10 years,” he added.
Stephan Delbos can be reached at sdelbos@praguepost.com


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