Pan-European satellite broadband provider Aramiska has turned off its service, allegedly giving customers barely seven hours notice that their Internet access was ending.

In a Jan. 27 announcement on its Web site, Aramiska said, “We regret to inform you that Aramiska and its services are shutting down, and the company will be unable to provide you with Internet access after today.” The announcement was buried deep inside the Aramiska site. According to the first handful of reports in the British press, Aramiska sent an e-mail notice with the identical text to its customers about 10 a.m. GMT.

Luc Temmerman, Aramiska’s vice president of business development, refused declined to comment. “I cannot give you any news,” Temmerman told sister publication TelecomWeb. “I’m not in a position to disclose anything. I cannot confirm or reject anything.” He added that Aramiska would comment Jan. 30.

Although headquartered in the Netherlands, nearly 65 percent of Aramiska’s business is in the United Kingdom, where it services rural businesses and provides wireless Internet access to some 200 rural communities in conjunction with wireless Internet service provider (WISP) ehotspot.

When Aramiska launched service in December 2001, it was a pioneer in the business — the first in Europe to offer two-way satellite broadband. Previously, competitors had offered satellite downlinks but only terrestrial uplinks, which typically were dial-up connections.