OTTAWA – Telesat announced today the successful launch of its new two-way satellite broadband service (the actual satellite itself launched last year).
The new service, operating in the Ka-band on the company’s Anik F2 satellite, delivers always-on, always-ready high-speed Internet connectivity – anywhere in Canada.
"Telesat’s new satellite broadband service is an exciting advancement for the millions of Canadians who live in rural or remote communities," said Dave Lahey, Telesat’s vice president of business development, in the press release. "By delivering superior broadband access to places where geography or economics prevent traditional DSL or high-speed cable, Telesat is helping make Canada’s ‘digital divide’ a thing of the past."
The new broadband satellite service is available to consumers through multiple distributors across the nation, including Barrett Xplore Inc., Infosat Communications Inc., Télébec, Limited Partnership, NorthernTel, Limited Partnership, and Northwestel Cable Inc. Barrett Xplore has begun its regional Ka-band rollout, and is planning to offer the service nationally within the coming weeks.
"Working from a rural area meant having two modems, two phone lines and costly, unreliable service," said Jim Peterson, a resident of Casselman, Ontario, and new subscriber to Telesat’s broadband service in the release. "Telesat’s satellite broadband service provides me with everything I need – reliable connections, VPN access and firewall hardware – with one line, one modem, and half the cost."
Unlike traditional dial up, Telesat’s new always-on service provides access to fast download and upload capabilities – without sacrificing a phone line. Telesat service offers multiple tiers, including speeds as high as 2 Mbps and 0.5 Mbps for download and upload capabilities, respectively.
