Sat3Play IP Broadband Hub. Photo: NewTec Products

[Via Satellite 11-26-13] Eutelsat selected Newtec’s Sat3Play VSAT Broadband Platform to extend its IP Easy service offering over the French West Indies and French Guiana. Caribsat, using the Eutelsat 8 West A satellite, will be the first customer to start providing broadband service in the region.

Caribsat’s service will commence before the end of the year in Guadeloupe and will deliver Internet connectivity with initial download speeds ranging from 512 Kbps to 6 Mbps. Starting Jan. 2014, the service will be extended to Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barth and French Guiana.

According to ARCEP data from July 2013, only 50 percent of the population living in the French West Indies and French Guiana has access to reliable broadband connectivity.