GV launches satellite broadband for rural businesses

Trade

A new satellite broadband service for businesses in rural areas where there is no ADSL is to be established by a Dublin-based company.

GV Distribution, started up in early 2003 by two ex-employees of Eircom.net, has formed a partnership with two UK companies FDTM and Chronos Technology. These two firms, which have been providing satellite broadband services to rural firms in the UK for the last six years, will provide consulting services.

Sales director Gordon Smith said the partnership will enable the company to address ‘the serious problems faced by a large number of businesses throughout Ireland who cannot take advantage of broadband due to a lack of availability or excessive financial outlay.’

The three companies together embarked on a short roadshow to Cork, Galway and Dublin in May 2003 in a bid to raise awareness of the new service. According to Smith, interest has been very strong from local enterprise boards and county councils as well as small rural firms.

GV Distribution is currently working to establish a network of between 35-40 resellers throughout the country who, as well as implementing the service, will hopefully provide back-up support and maintenance contracts, said Smith.

The service will provide always-on connectivity at fixed costs with broadband speeds up to 2Mbits/s download initially and a 512Mbits/s upload, which will cost around EUR130 a month. There is a good deal of flexibility in terms of bandwidth requirements, according to Smith, such as going for slower speeds at a lower cost.

There is also scope for a cluster of up to 15 companies in a particular area to use one satellite dish. In addition, companies within a cluster that may need greater bandwidth than others could organise an arrangement whereby they rent more capacity as long as the others within the same cluster elect to do with less.

In Northern Ireland, where GV will also market the service, there is grant support available from the government to subsidise the extra costs of satellite broadband over cheaper broadband access technologies, such as cable or ADSL.

08/08/2003

Read More: Deals done