SES ASTRA Provides Albanian Post Offices With Internet Access

24 January 2011.

SES ASTRA, will provide the Albanian Post with satellite broadband service to offer customers free internet access in rural areas throughout the country. In addition, ASTRA2Connect will be used by the Albanian Post for its daily operations. Together with Starsat, a distribution partner in Albania, broadband access will be installed in 300 post offices, which is more than half of all the post offices in the country.

The Albanian Post is the first postal operator to use the ASTRA2Connect satellite technology on such a wide scale. With the new service, customers in rural regions of Albania will get access to fast and reliable communications via the internet. Satellite broadband terminals in these post offices will enable them to use the internet for business and communication activities, such as internet browsing, e-mail, e-commerce, e-learning, e-payments and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony. The project is a cornerstone of the government program “Digital Albania” which was launched in 2005.

“We are honoured that the Albanian Post has decided to trust our successful satellite service ASTRA2Connect,” said Norbert Hölzle, Chief Commercial Officer at SES ASTRA. “The technology is highly reliable, yet easy and fast to install. The internet has become an essential tool for social and economic activities, and every citizen should have access to it. We are proud to be able to support the digital progress in Albania with our solution.”

The Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha praised the project as “a major event in the history of our endeavour for ‘Digital Albania’.” With the satellite broadband solution, “the Albanian Post has managed to become an important service provider valued by all citizens of Albania.”