Tooway Making Headway

Eutelsat Communications [Euronext Paris: ETL] and ViaSat Inc. [Nasdaq:VSAT] announced the expansion of the distribution network for the Tooway satellite broadband service with new distribution agreements signed for service into France, Spain and Bulgaria. Tooway is a broadband service designed for residential users, with equipment a fraction the cost of existing enterprise-focused satellite services.




In France, Sat2Way, which specializes in fully satellite-based broadband products for professional markets, will market the service to consumers in regions beyond range of high-speed Internet via ADSL and cable networks. In Spain, Overon, which is the market-leading company for satellite transmission and contribution services, will host the Spanish Tooway hub and distribute the service to ISPs in the region. The new distributor for Bulgaria is Bulsatcom, which already provides digital pay-TV services in Bulgaria and has a strong market position in the region in satellite-based video, and Internet services. These three partners will join Internetagentur Schott and Teles who are the first distribution partners and service providers in Germany, and who are preparing to launch Tooway by the end of this month.




Tooway will be offered via Ka-band capacity on Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD 6 satellite at 13°E and will also be available via Ku-band capacity on the EUROBIRD 3 satellite. Three different service grades will be provided in Ka-band and Ku-band, with the initial offer delivering maximum downlink speeds of up to 2048 kbps and maximum uplink speeds of up to 384 kbps. Each service provider partnering in the distribution of the service will define consumer tariffs and hardware prices. In 2010, Eutelsat expects to extend its Tooway service offering in partnership with ViaSat by deploying a new, high-capacity dedicated Ka-band satellite to 13°E with multiple spotbeams across Europe.