[Satellite Today 10-08-09] SES Astra has surpassed 50,000 subscribers for its Astra2Connect satellite broadband service, the operator said Oct. 7.

            The service was launched in early 2007 and is available in 14 countries throughout Europe. Most recently, the service was expanded to Africa, where it is offered in 10 countries in Central and Eastern Africa.

            SES Astra also announced has introduced new service packages that increase the available speeds of the service, with download rates of up to 4,096 kilobits per second and upload rates of up to 360 kilobits per second.

            “The new range of different speed and volume service packages responds to the increased market demand for highly flexible service. It makes Astra2Connect even more attractive and an optimal solution for end user requirements,” Norbert Willems, managing director of Astra Broadband Services, said in a statement.

NSS-12 Arrives at Kourou   Satellite Today   September 29, 2009
[Satellite TODAY 09-29-09] SES World Skies NSS-12 satellite arrived at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the company announced Sept. 28. NSS-12, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral (SSL), is in final preparations for its launch…

Mobile Satellite Broadband Partnership Formed in U.K.   Satellite Today   September 15, 2009
Beyond DSL, Ten Haaft and Conrad Anderson have formed a mobile satellite broadband Internet technology partnership in the United Kingdom, the companies announced. The partnership will use Ten Haaft’s Oyster Automatic satellite system and the…

SES World Skies Signs Rural, Government Broadband Connectivity Contract in Nigeria   Satellite Today   September 15, 2009
[Satellite TODAY 09-15-09] SES World Skies signed a multiyear, two-transponder agreement with Galaxy Backbone, a public enterprise of the federal government of Nigeria, to deliver a range of information and communication technology services to…