Release date: June 19, 2013

SCOTTISH MINISTERS EXPERIENCE NEXT GENERATION SATELLITE BROADBAND

MSPs and senior officers from Scottish local authorities have been shown the capability of the latest generation of satellite broadband systems, able to deliver fast, 20Mbps broadband anywhere in the country immediately without the need for infrastructure investment or delay.

Avonline Broadband, the UK's leading Tooway^TMsatellite broadband installer, delivered a Parliamentary Briefing to MSPs, members of the wider Government Community and business leaders at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday June 18.

Live, working systems were installed in the Parliament building at Holyrood and demonstrated the capability and speeds of Avonline's best selling Tooway^TMsatellite broadband service which, earlier this year, was upgraded to deliver 20Mb broadband. Importantly, this service is now more cost effective than ever and available to users across all regions of the Scottish mainland, highlands and islands.

In Avonline's presentation, ‘The role of Next Generation Satellite Broadband for Scotland', managing director Mark Wynn said: "Satellite broadband is universally available right now across the whole of Scotland for just £25 a month with no public sector investment required. But due to a lack of awareness and a lack of acceptance, satellite broadband has not yet been allowed to contribute anywhere near its potential to transform lives and enhance the Digital Scotland programme."

Nigel Don, MSP for Angus North and Mearns, welcomes any form of broadband which will enhance the lives of his constituents, whether domestic users or small business owners. He said: "There is a central government push that all forms need to be completed online, however if rural communities can't get access to quality fibre broadband then I see satellite broadband as a credible way forward in many situations."

The new generation of Tooway Ka technology satellites first went live in 2011. The Tooway service is delivered by KaSat, a part of the Eutelsat global fleet of satellites, and beams fast, reliable broadband across the whole of the country.

Steve Petrie director for Eutelsat broadband commented: "Scotland is a very important market for us and we look forward to working alongside Avonline to deliver 20Mbps broadband to all areas of Scotland, ensuring the digital divide is well and truly bridged and that rural economies thrive alongside towns and cities."

Earlier this year Avonline Broadband launched new uprated packages that now provide the best value satellite broadband ever seen in the UK market. Avonline offers four packages, all of which deliver up to 20Mbps download speed and 6Mbps upload with prices from £24.95 per month. Data allowances have been increased and for the first time, unlimited monthly data allowance is included in three of these packages.

The Scottish Parliament briefing was part of a rolling programme to show the suitability of modern satellite broadband technology for broadband ‘notspots' and ‘slowspots'.

After a previous demonstration in his constituency at Broadford Service Point on the Isle of Skye, Dave Thompson, the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, welcomed the arrival of new satellite broadband technology.

He said: "I was very impressed with the speed on offer. This new standard of satellite broadband addresses many of the problems experienced with the medium in the past, and will broaden access to broadband particularly in remote and rural areas.

"Many remote communities in my constituency have poor or even no access to broadband. The challenges of a suitable infrastructure for broadband and the effect that the geography can have on reception have complicated traditional services in many remote areas, and so I welcome the new generation of satellite technology which can offer a broadband service comparable to those available via ASDL elsewhere in Scotland."

Avonline is also planning a series of roadshows, taking satellite broadband to many remote communities and supporting MSPs in communicating the latest options available for the more rural locations.

Further information about the new Tooway satellite broadband services from Avonline is available at www.avonlinebroadband.co.uk.

ENDS

Avonline managing director Mark Wynn (left) and Nigel Don, MSP for Angus North and Mearns, at the satellite broadband briefing held at the Scottish Parliament.

 Satellite broadband - background information

• Ka band uses powerful spot-beam technology to deliver fast, reliable broadband across the whole of Europe.

• Spot-beam technology is responsible for revolutionising satellite broadband. It delivers the power to every part of the footprint that enables high-speed services to be delivered at high quality and excellent reliability. This technology overcomes many of the historic weaknesses with older satellite broadband technologies.

• Avonline plc, through its Avonline Broadband Services division has offered satellite broadband in the UK for over a decade. The company is the UK's largest provider of the popular Tooway^TMservice for consumers and businesses delivering more than 50% of all UK customers.

• Avonline offer four consumer packages offering download speeds of 20Mbps. The most popular is the Tooway Absolute service which comes with 20Mbps download and 6Mbps upload speeds and unlimited data downloads day or night. Free hardware is included within the monthly service price of £64.95. Other services include the Tooway Medium package at £24.95 per month, which provides 20Mbps download, 6Mbps upload and a 10Gb monthly data allowance.

• For the CPE (customer premise equipment) all that is needed is a small 74cm dish mounted on the side of the building and a modem - making it easy to obtain the new service with the option to complete DIY installations if required.

• Unlike fixed line broadband services, satellite does not suffer contention in the same manner as ADSL so a 20Mbps service from a satellite is able to delivers a true 20Mbps although fair usage policies still apply to all users.

• Users do not need a telephone line to get satellite broadband and using VoIP (free or paid for services available) anyone can save hundreds of pounds on annual line rental charges.

• Using Avonline Broadband can also mean free or low cost calls and even keeping their old telephone number all using satellite. Subscription free HD TV can also be accessed through the same dish.

• Because the satellite is situated in geostationary orbit over Europe, as long as you can see the sky, satellite broadband guarantees the same high level of performance in every location regardless of landscape - all that is needed is a satellite dish and a modem.

• Latency is one aspect where satellite broadband differs from fixed line connections because it takes about 750ms (3/4 second) to send a signal. For many modern day tasks - emails, tweets, streaming media like iPlayer or music/video downloads this presents no issues and with download speeds of up to 20Mbps provides a dramatic improvement for the majority of customers. The main domestic restriction is online gaming which satellite is not suited to.

• It is not just rural communities that suffer from poor broadband - the problem can hit 'end-of-line' streets in towns and cities too. With a 20Mbps service with free hardware included, many customers are switching from unreliable and slow ADSL services and converting to satellite broadband.

• Satellite broadband is completely different from satellite TV, using its own satellites and different technology.  For instance, Sky TV satellite dishes are one-way only, beaming programmes into the house.  Sky uses the BT in-the-ground cable network to achieve its two-way broadband service. So a Sky broadband service has the same speed and reliability as its BT equivalent.

 Note to editors:

For further information and interviews:

Mark Wynn, Managing Director, Avonline Broadband, tel 07970 008001

Email: mark.wynn@avonline.co.uk

Images are available from:

Ken Harrison, HPR Marketing, tel 07801 649045. Email kharrison@hprmarketing.co.uk