[Satellite TODAY Insider 03-29-11] Avanti Communications’ Hylas-1 has completed in-orbit testing and is ready to enter commercial service to provide broadband services across Europe, Avanti announced March 28.
    The operator said the satellite performed well throughout the tests, which were conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) from its facilities in Redu, Belgium.  The ESA tests, “confirmed that the payload, including the antennas, is in good health, operating correctly and shows no ill effects from space,” the agency said.
    Hylas-1 represents the first ESA public–private partnership for a full satellite system, as well as Europe’s first satellite designed to provide interactive broadband services.
    Immediately following the commercial launch announcement, Avanti signed four new service provider deals with Inland Computer Services and Banda Ampla in Spain and Krypton and Simply Balanced Services in the United Kingdom. The four companies purchased Avanti’s Shared Virtual Network Operator (SVNO) product, which aims to enable providers to offer broadband services to their underlying consumer and enterprise customers across their regions.
    After the operator launched Hylas-1 late last year, Avanti CEO David Williams told Satellite TODAY Insider that the Europe, Middle East and Africa markets could yield a potential demand for 100 million end users. “Avanti’s first two satellites plus Eutelsat’s [Ka-sat] satellite probably can’t serve more than a maximum of 2.5 million. The excess demand is vast,” he said. “There is relatively light competition that exists in our market. That is a fantastic thing for us. I think more companies will invest in this market over time. Avanti is a pioneer in this market and we will be moving forward very aggressively to get more satellite capacity and we will be pressing home our early advantage in this market globally.”

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