Satellite broadband company eyeing Poland

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES Global and Israel-based telecoms solutions provider Gilat Satellite Networks announced the creation last week of Satlynx, a provider of two-way satellite broadband communications services throughout Europe. According to SES Global Chief Executive Officer Romain Bausch, the company should pave the way for these services to be introduced to businesses, consumers and small office-home office users (SOHO) in Central and Eastern Europe. "The Polish market for us was and remains important," Bausch said. "Introducing satellite broadband services is only a matter of finding the right partners but technically we can do it tomorrow. The solution is there, the technical equipment is there and the space segment is there. "It's simply about having our salespeople in Satlynx and Astra-Net (a subsidiary of SES Global) really approaching the right potential partners and convincing them to do such a service. For example, if TPSA (Telekomunikacja Polska, Poland's largest telecom operator) is interested in a one-way solution like Deutsche Telekom, we can start tomorrow." According to market sources, SES Global is talking to several major telecom operators in Poland, including TPSA and Polkomtel. A satellite technology provider would need partners to integrate and distribute its services throughout Poland.

Meanwhile, using satellites for distribution of the Internet and multimedia applications is only just emerging. So far, Internet providers have been using dial-up connections and cable networks but the satellite connection will allow them to extend their customer base into areas that couldn't be reached in traditional ways. According to Yves Elsen, CEO of Satlynx, two-way broadband satellite services should be available in Poland within the next 12 months. "We're talking to a whole series of partners in the Polish market, however, it's too early to reveal their identities," he said. "We want to become the No. 1 two-way broadband Internet Provider (IP) via satellite in Europe. According to our estimates, by 2005 there will potentially be 7.3 million residential customers for broadband access and 1.3 million SME (and) SOHO clients. The biggest growth potential in Europe for broadband will come from the residential market." Polish customers who opt for the new solution will need to have a satellite dish directed at the Astra satellite, a computer and a PCI card. More than 6 million households (cable and DTH) in Poland have Astra satellite dishes, according to GFK Polonia, a market research company. At the same time the Polish Internet audience reached 1.2 million in 2001 and this year another 1 million intend to go online. SES Global is already offering Internet access through its Astra satellite under a deal with Deutsche Telekom, with a transmission rate of up to 768 kilobytes per second through Telekom's T-online, Germany's largest IP provider and portal. SES Global's competitor, Paris-based Eutelsat is also planning to roll out IP via satellite services in Poland.