Posted: 09th Nov, 2009 By: MarkJ

UK satellite operator
Avanti Communications has revealed three new contract wins that will help it to deliver the government's required Universal Service Commitment (minimum UK broadband speed of 2Mbps to everybody by 2010) under the Digital Britain project.
Firstly, a project has been awarded by the British Government's Technology Strategy Board (TSB) in support of their strategy for Digital Britain. The project will investigate technologies that can be incorporated in Customer Premises Equipment to support emerging applications and next generation broadband services.
Secondly, Avanti has also been awarded a contract to prepare for larger scale deployment of satellite backhaul for rural Mobile Broadband access, building on earlier technology trials performed in Northern Ireland.
Finally, a consortium consisting of Avanti, University of Bologna (as prime contractor) and the DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the standardisation activities of the next generation of the DVB Return Channel via Satellite standard (DVB-RCS NG).
David Williams, Chief Executive of Avanti, said:
“I am pleased to announce our involvement in these new government sponsored activities. They will help us to prepare our solution for the Universal Service Commitment [USC] contemplated by the Digital Britain Report. It is now clear to all that Avanti’s broadband satellites will have a major role in solving these problems for governments around the World.”
Last week Avanti informed us that their HYLAS satellite payload, which is designed to help tackle the UK governments plan to make a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps available to everybody by 2012, had arrived safely at the ISRO satellite assembly facility in India where it is now being integrated into the platform and prepared for launch (
here).
However Avanti will have its work cut out, not least because some of its current customers are already unhappy with the existing service and support. Furthermore satellite hardware is often prohibitively expensive and related services usually suffer from meagre usage allowances, unreliable performance (speed) and high latency; hardly an ideal USC solution.