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Satellite Solutions Worldwide Rebrands to Bigblu Broadband Group

Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 (1:00 pm) - Score 3,946

European and UK satellite and fixed wireless operator Satellite Solutions Worldwide (Europasat) has re-branded to Bigblu Broadband Group PLC, although the operator remains focused on its niche market of the last 5% – 10% of rural customers in each country that are “unserved or underserved by fibre broadband“.

Currently around 82% of the company’s customers are on satellite broadband with 18% on various fixed wireless broadband and alternative solutions. Over the past three years they’ve also acquired 20 other businesses, in 9 countries, such as Satellite ISPs Avonline and BeyonDSL, not to mention fixed wireless operators Quickline and Clannet in the United Kingdom.

Suffice to say that Bigblu has inherited a plethora of different brands in different countries and thus from June 2018 they will begin to re-brand all of them under a single name.

Bigblu Broadband Statement

Bigblu’s core technologies remain satellite broadband, ultra-fast fixed wireless (radio) broadband, and where available fixed 4G and 5G using cellular networks. The business continues to work closely with a wide variety of technology and satellite companies around the world who have products in the pipeline which may in the future fit our markets and positioning, and we’ll bring those into our customer offer if and when appropriate on a market by market basis.

Satellite broadband is an excellent fit for many rural homes and businesses (we are now delivering 50 Mb download speeds over satellite broadband in many countries) particularly in areas where population density is low. However fixed wireless broadband is also an excellent broadband solution with low latency, and high throughputs which enable very high (ultra-fast>100 Mbps) download speeds with truly unlimited data allowances for end users.

There are a significant number of Government grants and subsidies available in various locations across Europe and Australia for the deployment of next generation fixed wireless networks. Bigblu with its experience and track record in building out large scale fixed wireless networks is well positioned to bid for and win more of this grant funding. The business has already won 2 out of the 3 Government tenders its bid for in the UK, and 2 out of 2 of the ones its bid for in Norway.

At present the change for customers should be largely cosmetic or administrative, as opposed to something that will result in a more fundamental shift in service provision or quality. The operator’s most recent 2017 annual report noted that they had a customer base of 100,240 (up from 78,717 in 2016).

Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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Comments
22 Responses
  1. Avatar photo Ham Gammons says:

    Probably because of them ruining the Europasat brand name through awful customer service.

  2. Avatar photo Ronnie says:

    Re: Customer service.

    As an old Tooway / Europasat customer (now bigblu) in Portugal, I requested an upgrade of my account on 26.06.2018 and I got a ¨Ticket number¨, as at today the 17.07.2018, I am still waiting on confirmation of this and when the upgrade is to happen!

    During this period I have sent several e-mails to them in the UK, Ireland and Portugal, I have tried phoning them in the UK and Ireland and get cut off after about 20 minutes without any contact.

    I have checked their new website customer portal at bigblu.co.uk and their webpage Ticket facility does not even register my Ticket number!

    Does anybody have the contact details of their Chief Executive, including postal address, as maybe they might respond to a registered letter?

    1. Avatar photo Ronnie says:

      03.08.2018 – Update:

      No access to my account on the new bigblu web portal which was to be accessible from 01.08.2018.
      No replies to my e-mails since 26th June.
      No answer from phone calls.
      Is there anybody their?

    2. Avatar photo Maggie says:

      I echo your comments. I live in rural France and have been a Tooway/Europasat customer since 2011. Apart from the original notice of the change to Bigblu I have regulary sent messages to support@bigblu.co.uk. and accounts ect. to which still no reply. August 1st we should have had links to the new portal. Still Nothing.I am concerned about my personal and payment details being comprimised since the closure of the europasat site. Does anyone feel the same?

    3. Avatar photo Ronnie says:

      Update 2.0

      As the new bigblu web portal would not accept my password for access, On the 19.08.18 I finally got access to the web portal. I repeated my [now 5th] request for an upgrade with reference to my request history, and have a new ¨Case Number¨.

      I await response from bigblu in the UK.

      Account: My Direct Debit was due on the 1st day of each month. The first payment on the new bigblu was debited on 18.08.18! Today I got an e-mail from bigblu confirming that my next payment would be debited in 2/3 days time…which means that the September payment will be debited on 24/25th August!

      I am just going to let things happen [or not] and take action at the relevant time, meanwhile I am over my usage allocation for the month, but it is totally due their delay in my request for an upgrade…which I will be paying for.

      On a serious note: Living in the heart of the wildfire zone in Central Portugal, we are dependent on our communications. Having the ability to use satellite communications via bigblu means we can access the web for information on any wildfires, and use the Skype facility. I do hope that bigblu will not throttle us back or even cut us off for any over-usage of our allocation, which as I have stated above is not for the want of requesting an upgrade…over to you bigblu.

      Ronnie

    4. Avatar photo Ronnie says:

      Mark, thank you for the link [above] to the Annual Report 2017 of the company…I should have seen it earlier

      This information also includes the names of the relevant directors. As the company address is also confirmed, I shall use this to write to them about my issues with Bigblu!.

  3. Avatar photo Martin Gibbons says:

    I too am appalled at the customer service, absolutely terrible. You simply cannot get through on the phone, despite all the razzmatazz and new branding etc. Just terrible. I used to be their biggest fan, now they are losing all that hard-won respect. I just hope everything holds together till they sort themselves out.

  4. Avatar photo Rob says:

    Terrible service. If you want to ruin a business then follow their model. They did not not answer the phone despite holding for an hour and a half! Unbelievable scant regard for the customer. This article is an advertorial by the way.

  5. Avatar photo Leon Durbridge says:

    Big Blu do not seem to understand the meaning of Customer Service. I have tried to ‘phone, and been cut off after 15 minutes, sent three e-mails, and got nothing back from them except a case number for future reference. I still do not have access to my customer portal three days after the promised date of 30 July.
    Europasat service was pretty cronic, but Big Blu is even worse.

  6. Avatar photo N.Dfish@hotmail.co.uk says:

    Back in the day they weren’t too bad but steadily gone down hill…fast! Still can’t get into my “new” portal…not answering the phone or emails. Time to look elsewhere I’m afraid. Prices gone up and services gone down..very poor treatment of longstanding customers.

  7. Avatar photo Ken says:

    Non existent customer service. Client portal not working. Phones don’t get answered. Emails don’t get replied to. No way of checking my usage. Is there anyone still working there ? No evidence of it.

    1. Avatar photo Dave C says:

      Agree with all your comments. Bigblu customer service is useless.

      This non Bigblu link will give you your usage. I use it each day now that there is no customer portal.

      http://checkportal.skylogic.com

      It only works on computers linked to your satellite system.

  8. Avatar photo Maggie says:

    Thanks a lot for that checkportal address Dave.It is great to be able to at least check my data usage. I thought I was alone in the Big Blu Blackout!

  9. Avatar photo Pam Griffin says:

    Dreadful customer service . I was given a code for the new portal but needs a password reset . No reset message e mailed . Phones unanswered. How not to run a company . Sadly I have no choice

  10. Avatar photo Paul says:

    Have they gone out of business? No payment taken, no replies for support or customer services? Data not reset and throttled back to very low speeds. This has been going on for 2 weeks now. They are probably still selling but buyer beware.

  11. Avatar photo Jennifer kelly says:

    We’ve been trying to get through on the phone for 3 hours today on our day off, getting cut off every 15 minutes, then getting the message that the offices are now closed – this is at 2pm!! A ridiculous so called service, we can’t use the portal because the internet isn’t working properly! The irony. If anyone has a solution it would be great but I think cancelling the direct debits may get a response? Maybe the ombudsman?

  12. Avatar photo David Hunt says:

    Just received an e-mail from them saying I have cancelled my contract- which I have no. I have been with Avonline for about 5 years and no issues and always good customer service. That said, I have had no communication that Avonline is now BigBlu. I’ve sent an email to BigBlue asking why it has been cancelled and stating that I do not want it cancelled.

    Has anyone else had similar experience.

    (Roll on the fibre network that is currently being installed in rural Herefordshire where I live – I guess I will be changing over when I can)

  13. Avatar photo Dave C says:

    I still have no access to my data usage on Bigblu’s new website. Promised this would be available after 5 days now 22 days later and still not available.

    Bigblu sent out this email on 16/8:

    Thank you for signing up with bigblu for your satellite internet service. As part of your package you will have access to your customer portal where you will be able to:

    View your data usage

    DATA USAGE IS NOT SHOWN!

    Have reported this and have a case number but no reply after 5 days!!
    Waited in a telephone queue for 15 minutes only to be cut off.

    A terrible company.

    When I bought my system from Europasat their support was brilliant.

    Don’t use Bigblu unless like me you have no alternative.

  14. Avatar photo robert says:

    i have not been with bigblu for long came home from holiday and found I had a new server, last one was Europasat, your comments are typical of what’s happening in bigblu their phone system in rotten the whole system is bad from top to bottom, they cut you off at any time with no warning, my last two payments have turned into three with data being used up so quickly,also they are not the cheapest if I was on fibre optic or one of the bigger companies, my bill would be half of what I now pay, in the past I have seriously thought about getting one of those TV shows involved just to see what their excuse would be

  15. Avatar photo Stephen says:

    If you look up any bad word in a Thesaurus such as “dreadful” “useless” “incompetant” “indifferent” “lazy” etc etc etc you should expect to find the word Bigblu as a synonym for them all. This company has the worst phone support, ticket support, and email support that I have ever encountered. I have wasted hours trying to get the most basic basic basic issues resolved and since 1st August I am still waiting for a resolution. Nobody there knows what they are doing. Nobody there seems to talk to each other. And, quite evidently, nobody there cares one jot. Honestly, if you need satellite internet you would be better of engaging the services of a herd of gnus before you consider using this sham of a company. Avoid like the plague!

  16. Avatar photo Julie says:

    The comments above echo my own experience with Bigblu.
    Why would a service company not understand that the most important thing to do is to have an Excellent Customer Service.
    The consumer is a very important person as it is they that are using the service and hence paying for this service.
    I’m still waiting to beable to log in to my Bugblu portal.

  17. Avatar photo Peter Munday says:

    Please send me an email for a new password so that I can access my account & check service
    usage

Comments are closed

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