Eutelsat claims technology will help make universal broadband in the UK 'a reality'.
A new satellite broadband service has been launched in the UK which its creators believe will help provide broadband to the whole of the UK.
Tooway, from Eutelsat Communications, will provide 2Mbps broadband from £29.99 a month, although the firm claims it will be able to offer 10Mbps in 2010. The product is being marketed to people living in rural areas or in places with poor broadband access.
Satellite broadband has already been mooted as a potential solution to some of the problems surrounding universal broadband. In communication minister Lord Carter's Digital Britain report, which pledged broadband for all, satellites were suggested, along with mobile and wireless technologies, as a way of providing internet access in areas where fixed-line infrastructure investment would prove too costly.
According to figures from broadband analyst Point Topic, many parts of the UK are still unable to see speeds of 2Mbps, the minimum recommended by Lord Carter. The Digital Britain report set a deadline of 2012 for the provision of universal broadband.
"Tooway will help make Lord Carter's vision for Digital Britain a reality by revolutionising the consumer market for satellite internet access," said Arduino Patacchini, director of multimedia and value added services at Eutelsat. "Tooway is able to offer true broadband access with total independence from existing infrastructures.
"It has the technology and capacity to become the definitive, low-cost solution for geographical areas that are affected by the digital divide."
