12 January 2016
Satellite Internet, a specialist satellite Internet Service Provider (ISP), today announced it is supporting the Access Broadband Cymru scheme as a registered supplier. The scheme provides grants to help significantly improve broadband speeds in Wales.
Continuing its policy to improve broadband connectivity for homes and businesses across the country, the Welsh Government has announced significant revisions to its Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) voucher scheme, meaning that all homes and businesses across Wales that are currently unable to receive a superfast connection are eligible to apply for support. Estimates suggest that more than 100,000 premises will now meet the new qualification criteria.
The scheme is open to individuals, businesses, third sector organisations and communities suffering from slow broadband connections.
Satellite Internet Managing Director Mike Locke said: “Even in today’s access-dependent age, numerous properties across Wales and the rest of the UK still don’t have reliable, high-speed Internet, leaving both residents and workers unable to access vital online services. Satellite Internet is fully backing the ABC scheme, illustrating the viability of satellite internet connectivity for the final five percent of properties within the entire UK.”
To be eligible for the voucher scheme, a premises must currently receive broadband speeds of less than 24 Megabits per second. The subsidy will help pay for the set-up costs of an improved service, provided that it at least doubles the current connectivity levels at the premises. The level of subsidy support available varies from £400 to £800, depending on the service selected by the qualifying property and those eligible may choose from a range of technologies, dependent upon availability at their location.
The services offered by Satellite Internet under the scheme fully meet its requirements, with packages delivering speeds of up to 30Mbps being both available and deployable at any eligible property within Wales.
Locke added: “The beauty of a satellite-based internet solution is that it can be provisioned at any location where there is a clear line of sight to the southern sky. This allows it to offer a fast and robust connection to reach those areas where it is simply unfeasible to deploy any other internet delivery technology.”
Satellite Internet also supports local ISPs and specialist service resellers in Wales who, if registered as suppliers to the ABC scheme, can then themselves make Satellite Internet provided services available to eligible properties under the scheme parameters.
Satellite Internet partners with SES Techcom Services to deliver high-speed satellite broadband services across the UK and Ireland.
