Satellite broadband fills in 'notspots'

A new two-way satellite service offers to reach places other broadband providers don't – and at prices pitched for home users.

The entry-level Astra2Connect (A2C) service costs £19.99 a month for a 256/64Kbits/sec (downlink/uplink) provided you pay a year in advance.

Other monthly prices are: £29.99 for 512/96 Kbits/sec, and £39.99 and £75.99 respectively for 1Mbit/sec and 2Mbits/sec, both with a 128Kbits/sec uplink.

Paying monthly costs you £5 a month more in each case and there is a £299.99 charge for an installation kit including a modem, an aerial and mountings, and a gizmo that helps you align the aerial for an optimal signal.

Mike Locke, special projects officer at Eurosat, which is running the UK ground side of the operation, said installation is simple for people "who don't mind getting up a ladder" but you can have the system installed by a specialist for £100.

The prices are similar to those of first-generation ADSL services but Locke said the system does not aim to compete with existing broadband providers. "We are targeting people who can't get broadband, offering them a faster alternative to dial-up."

He said Eurosat has identified thousands of 'notspots' where people are unable to get DSL broadband.

A2C differs from previous UK consumer satellite products in that it does not use a landline for the uplink. This means internet use does not tie up a phone line and can be used in places where people do not have one.

Existing satellite aerials cannot be used for the service because they are not built to the precision required for the satellite uplink, Locke said. But the A2C dish can be used to receive Sky or Freesat broadcasts provided you buy an extra £49.99 LNB (Low Noise Block).