[SatNews] ...is able to offer an extremely reliable service to discerning customers such as Euskaltel which will be able to extend its telecoms offering to the whole of the Basque Country, including remote areas where conventional terrestrial networks cannot reach....

HISPASAT, the Spanish satellite communications operator, and Euskaltel, the telecoms operator in the Basque Country, have signed an agreement to provide broadband Internet access to the entire region.

Given the high performance of its satellite fleet, HISPASAT is able to offer an extremely reliable service to discerning customers such as Euskaltel which will be able to extend its telecoms offering to the whole of the Basque Country, including remote areas where conventional terrestrial networks cannot reach.

Under this three-year agreement, Euskaltel will be able to offer all its customers in the Basque Country, regardless of where they live, broadband at a speed of up to 25 Mbps, thanks to the powerful coverage offered by HISPASAT’s satellites from their orbital position at 30 degrees West. Following the rapid deployment, Euskaltel’s customers all over the region will be able to go online using antennas measuring just 76 cm in diameter.

HISPASAT offers Euskatel its extensive experience in this type of broadband services as it operates various similar platforms on both sides of the Atlantic. HISPASAT has also developed creative IP technology solutions, ranging from simple applications such as Internet access, to corporate or mobile solutions for high-speed trains or customers operating in maritime environments.

HISPASAT has also been working on the Avanza (I and II) plans for some years now, which were implemented by the Industry, Tourism and Trade Ministry to bring advanced broadband services to parts of Spain with no Internet access or with very low speeds. HISPASAT’s satellites cover the entire country and offer high transmission speeds, enabling the operator to offer residential customers high quality services. As part of this collaboration, HISPASAT has already deployed over 4,000 antennas, making it Spain’s leading residential satellite broadband provider.

According to Ignacio Sanchis, HISPASAT’s Business Director, “We are extremely pleased with this agreement which shows, yet again, that satellite technology is the best way to solve universal telecoms access and narrow the digital divide. Satellites are vital to help bring the information society to all parts of the globe, as they offer high quality, rapid deployment and reasonable costs.”

Aitor Markaida, Euskaltel’s Business Director, stated that this agreement “will help us meet our commitment to our market, bringing the Information Society to all homes and companies in the Basque Country using the most advanced telecommunication networks available.”

Euskaltel is the Basque Country’s telecoms operator, offering fixed and mobile broadband Internet access, digital television and fixed and mobile phone services. Since its inception, Euskatel has invested over €1.82 billion in deploying a next-generation network (NGN) in the Basque Country, an average of 857 euros per resident, the largest outlay ever undertaken by a Spanish operator. Euskaltel has become the Basque Country’s leading telecoms operator, in broadband, mobile telephony and digital television, given its commitment to deploy a 340,100 kilometer-long fiber optic network.

The HISPASAT Group is composed of companies with a foothold in Spain as well as in Latin America, where its Brazilian affiliate HISPAMAR, sells its services. The Group is a leading Spanish- and Portuguese-language content broadcaster and distributor, including over important direct-to-home television (DTH) and high-definition television (HDTV) digital platforms. HISPASAT is one of the world's largest companies in terms of revenue in its sector, and the main communications bridge between Europe and the Americas.