[SatNews] SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) has signed an agreement with Switzerland’s leading telecom provider, Swisscom, to provide the Astra Connect service in Switzerland.

Swisscom provides nationwide broadband access as part of the Universal Broadband Service Obligation in Switzerland. In about two percent of homes, a DSL broadband Internet access with the required minimum transmission rate is not possible. To provide Internet access in these homes, Swisscom has decided to opt for a bidirectional satellite solution. Starting from September 2014 it will deploy the Astra Connect service and upgrade the existing access lines.

The Astra Connect service uses Ka-band capacity on SES’s satellite ASTRA 2E, which entered into commercial service in the orbital arc of 28.2 degrees East on February 1, 2014. The solution has been in operation since 2007 and provides next generation broadband services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The high speed broadband service is unaffected by landscape and the satellite signal can be received anywhere, making it a vital solution to those in remote areas.

Artistic rendition of SES'
ASTRA 2E satellite.

Swisscom is one of Switzerland’s largest providers of Information, Communication and Technology services. The partnership with SES will allow for thousands of homes to access a high quality Internet connection over satellite.

The SES infosite may be accessed at http://www.ses.com

For more information regarding Swisscom, please visit http://www.swisscom.ch/