ISP Satellite Internet Completes Rollout of Broadband Market Test Pilot

UK ISP Satellite Internet, which uses the SES (ASTRA) Satellite platform to deliver ‘up to’ 25Mbps capable broadband services, have announced that their service has now completed deployment to the Government’s final pilot test location of Broomfield in North Somerset.

The pilot is one of seven under the Government’s £10m Innovation Fund, which was originally setup to “test innovative solutions” for delivering superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services to the final 5% of the United Kingdom (predominantly the most difficult to reach rural areas) and you can find more details about this specific pilot HERE.

Satellite Internet’s project uses a Satellite Distribution Node (SDN) and a Wi-Fi head-end installed at a central location. The broadband connection is then supplied to end-users via a Fixed Access Wireless network, while properties which cannot be covered by wireless have an individual Direct-to-Home (DTH) dish installed.

The Government recently hailed their Market Test Pilots as a success (here), although at the time some of them were still in the process of deploying their networks. Apparently the village of Broomfield, which has a population of around 250, was one of the final ones to gain approval for installation in January 2016 and so it’s arrived a little late to the party.

Never the less Satellite Internet has now provided 24 properties with a 25Mbps capable Satellite broadband connection.

David Hennell, Satellite Internet Business Development Director, said:

“Despite the very short timescales, we were very confident that we could provide the necessary infrastructure to make this third MTP deployment a success. However, we couldn’t have achieved this without the enthusiasm and support of Broomfield Parish Council and the closeness with which we, the Broomfield community and CDS have all worked, ensuring that the installation has been a success.

The effectiveness of the headend installation and supporting network is a clear example of the speed and flexibility with which satellite-based broadband technology can be deployed. This has created high-speed, reliable connectivity in an area where previously broadband speeds were very slow and where other more traditional and terrestrial-based methods of broadband delivery were simply unavailable.”

Broomfield was the third and final village to take part in Satellite Internet’s MTP, with Luxborough and Simonsbath, also in Somerset, getting connected last year. The ISP claims that households which signed up to the trial received faster broadband speeds and as a result more than 60% of residents have retained the service on a normal commercial basis following the end of the trial period. The ISP received state aid worth £84,750 for its infrastructure capital costs and its intervention area includes about 420 premises.