SES Broadband Services is expanding its relationship with Orbitcom to boost sales of its Astra Connect for German potential Internet and broadband communities.

SES says that the new deal follows Orbitcom’s successful delivery of the Astra Connect service, which provides broadband Internet to individual households and businesses via a satellite dish. The partnership, which has been in place since April, has now been extended to include the marketing of Astra Connect for communities.

The solution uses a single antenna to provide an entire community with a satellite broadband connection, which is then distributed via a local network infrastructure, such as WiFi. Users served by the networks will be able to browse the different packages offered online and then place orders through a dedicated website and webshop set up by Orbitcom. The ISP will also be responsible for the delivery of the equipment and customer support.

“Our Astra Connect for communities service provides a much needed solution for people who cannot be supplied with a high-speed Internet connection via the terrestrial infrastructure,” said Patrick Biewer, MD of SES Broadband Services. “By expanding our partnership with Orbitcom, we are able to extend and accelerate the roll-out of this solution to villages and communities in Germany.”

“With Astra Connect for communities, we can reach 100 per cent of households where broadband access is insufficient. It is a quick and inexpensive solution for underserved communities,” said Andreas Schmidt, the CEO of Orbitcom.

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