[Satellite TODAY 08-25-11] Greek private broadband and pay-TV service provider Forthnet Group has expanded its commercial partnership with Eutelsat Communications by signing an additional five-year distribution agreement to market the satellite operator’s Ka-Sat Tooway broadband service to users across Greece and Cyprus, the companies announced Aug. 24.

   Eutelsat has also agreed to ensure future satellite capacity for Forthnet’s Nova service via the operator’s Hot Bird satellite video neighborhood to support the launch of future premium services and accelerate the acquisition of Nova pay-TV subscribers. The full service will be delivered via Tooway antennas equipped with a dual-feed in order to access broadband from the Ka-Sat satellite and the Nova service from the Hot Bird satellites.

   “Covering un-served areas also presents the Group with the commercial opportunity to extend its broadband customer base beyond its fixed line coverage. This agreement also allows us to complement our Pay-TV offering in Cyprus with high-speed broadband services, offering a complete solution to the dynamic Cypriot market,” Forthnet Group CCO Yiannis Kavaklis said in a statement.