Aramiska to launch broadband satellite service in UK first

Aramiska is to roll-out its two-way broadband satellite service in the UK from the beginning of next year, the company confirmed today.

Trials for the service - aimed initially at SMEs with between five and 200 users - will begin later this year.

At the official launch of the fledgling company earlier today those behind the service said the company planned to target the UK first because "the roll-out of terrestrial broadband services has been so slow".

It plans to launch the service in Spain and Italy in Q3 2002, and Germany and France in the following quarter.

Said CEO Philippe Bodart: "The strong demand in Europe for broadband local access have been diminished by slow local loop unbundling, with current DSL offerings being openly criticised.

"Today we have launched a service that will dramatically reshape this broadband landscape across Europe, " he said.

That's some claim. However, the operation - backed by venture capitalists Whitney & Co - declined to be drawn on how much the service would cost.

However, Bodart said that the "offer would be competitively priced with comparable DSL offerings.

While the service would initially be offered on an unmetered basis he declined to rule out volume-based charging in the future.

He also said that Aramiska might offer wholesale services in the future.

Last week Tiscali said it had hooked up with Gilat to offer broadband over satellite from the autumn.

However, according to Aramiska, that service is based on "VSAT-based proprietary technology and doesn't provide true two-way broadband access," it bitched.. ®

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