Second broadband satellite - good news for VoIP?

Second broadband satellite good news for VoIP?

 

Millions of people may get the chance to access VoIP services for the first time after the launch of Europe's second dedicated broadband satellite.

Created by communications firm Eutelstat, the 6.1 tonne Ka-Sat was fired into space on top of a proton rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Sunday (December 26th).

The company hopes the spacecraft will deliver high-speed broadband to more than one million homes using 82 spot beams linked to ten ground stations.

Eutelsat chief executive officer Michel de Rosen stated the new technology could allow access to areas currently deprived of internet connectivity, via a system similar to that delivering access to almost half a million US homes.

"These new resources will in particular benefit internet service providers, enabling them to extend broadband to consumers and enterprises in areas unserved by terrestrial networks," he said.

The news comes just one month after the launch of Europe's first broadband satellite - Hylas 1 - which the European Space Agency hopes will provide super-fast broadband across the continent.