Brazilians Get Two-Way Satellite Connection To The Internet

SPACEMART

A Carnaval reveller shows his internet devotion during a carnaval parade in Rio de Janeiro. AFP Photo by Antonio Scorza

Rio De Janeiro - May 14, 2001
Star One, Universo Online (UOL) and Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.'s StarBand Latin America business today announced they have entered into an agreement to provide Brazil's first consumer, two-way satellite broadband Internet service.

The service will offer always-on, high-speed Internet access to selected consumer markets and small office/home office (SOHO) users in Brazil.

Star One is a partnership of Embratel and satellite operator SES Astra. UOL is Latin America's largest Internet Online Service Provider (ISP). Gilat is a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology.

Under the agreement, Gilat's StarBand Latin America business will serve as the wholesale provider of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications equipment and operations support for the service. In addition to the hub and advanced technical services, StarBand Latin America will provide 3,700 VSATs to Star One for the market launch - with the potential for significant growth by the end of 2001.

Star One will be the network operator and will market the Internet access service to the residential and small office/home office (SOHO) sectors. UOL will be the first major ISP to offer this new broadband service, the main distribution channel for the service and the Internet content provider.

The service will be especially attractive to those who do not have access to any other broadband connectivity solutions. The three companies teamed up to implement successful trials of the two-way satellite service last year and wide availability is expected by the third quarter of 2001.

Powered by technology provided by StarBand Latin America, the two-way satellite service expects to offer users Internet access speeds up to 10 times higher than normal modem speeds in Brazil. Two-way satellite service offers significant benefits for consumers, including a persistent or "always on" connection that saves time when connecting to the Internet and eliminates the need for a telephone line dedicated for Internet use. The service will also support multi-PC connectivity for SOHOs in Brazil.

Gilat's Internet-via-satellite solution includes patented software and quality-of-service technology, enabling Internet traffic to be controlled by user, by application and by time of day. Gilat's solution also includes the StarBand Carousel multicast technology that will enable users to receive large files, such as movies or games, at multi-megabit speeds without impacting browsing speeds - a capability that terrestrial broadband technologies are unable to match.

Gilat has significant experience in the consumer Internet marketplace, gained from its joint venture StarBand Communications Inc. (McLean, Va., www.starband.com), which successfully launched America's first nationwide, consumer, two-way, high-speed satellite Internet service last year. This experience will help Star One and UOL rapidly introduce their new service in Brazil.

Gilat Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yoel Gat said, "This agreement is consistent with our goal of meeting the VSAT equipment and services needs of leading consumer satellite broadband services worldwide, as well as continuing our leadership in the Latin American VSAT market. This initiative represents a continuation of the highly successful relationship we've had with Embratel for more than five years, in which we have implemented many successful VSAT networks for a wide range of rural telephony and enterprise networking applications."

Giora (Gigi) Oron, Chief Executive Officer of Gilat Latin America Inc., a Gilat subsidiary, said, "We see this agreement as an anchor for StarBand Latin America. We are joined by UOL, Brazil's leader in the Internet space, along with Star One, Brazil's strongest satellite service provider, in a unique initiative to deploy the largest known VSAT network in Latin America - thus creating new horizons for Gilat's technology."

UOL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Luis Frias said, "This is a tremendous benefit for UOL subscribers, as it enables them to receive broadband Internet service regardless of where they are located. This new service will help us deliver our award-winning content to more consumers. Teaming up with leading companies like Star One and Gilat makes this possible."

Star One President Edson Soffiatti said, "This initiative brings together the very best in talent and technology - experts in satellite communications, VSAT networking and Internet services. We believe this new service will provide consumers with the highest level of satisfaction - improving their Internet connection speed and user experience in ways they never thought possible. We have chosen StarBand Latin America as the technology provider because it has demonstrated great performance and has provided an impressive roadmap for the product."

The new service is offered as a complete hardware and services solution, which further streamlines the consumer experience by including the complete installation of equipment and eliminating the need for multiple infrastructure providers. Pricing and performance specifications will be announced when the service becomes widely available in the third quarter.

SPACEMART

VSAT Offers Peruvians Rural Communications

Lima - May 14, 2001
Gilat Satellite will provide Telerep with a fixed rural satellite telephony network for use in public call offices in nearly 2,000 communities throughout Peru.

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