SES ASTRA has announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Italian corporation Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) for the deployment of 5,000 ASTRA2Connect terminals in Italy.

GSE will use a dedicated ASTRA2Connect-based satellite service for telemetry and video surveillance applications in order to optimize the predictions of its renewable energy sources. GSE is a government-owned company promoting and supporting renewable energy sources and is controlled by the Italian Ministry of Economics and Finance.

SES ASTRA will provide its successful satellite-based broadband technology to improve the data flow from renewable energy sources. Through the contract, ASTRA2Connect will become one of the largest satellite-based broadband networks for the energy market in Europe as well as a leading satellite broadband service in Italy.

In addition, SES ASTRA is contributing to the development of a sustainable European energy policy from renewable sources of electricity and will play a vital role in the creation of a competitive electricity market.

The distribution of the terminals will be managed by a consortium consisting of SES ASTRA, Digitaria, SES ASTRA's distribution partner for ASTRA2Connect in Italy, and Calzavara, a system integrator for telecommunications with a strong focus on alternative and renewable energies.

The ASTRA2Connect satellite technology was launched in 2007 as a residential service especially for households in regions without terrestrial broadband networks. Marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers, it offers an always-on and interactive broadband internet access at low costs.

The customer premises equipment - a modem and satellite dish - can be easily self-installed. With currently more than 50,000 end users, ASTRA2Connect is highly successful in the residential market and has recently been further developed for the industrial and maritime markets.

"Our agreement with GSE is a significant step for ASTRA2Connect in the Italian market," said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA.

"With the European energy market seeking a substantially increased share of renewable energy sources, we are very proud to be able to offer ASTRA2Connect as a reliable and cost-efficient solution to control and monitor the data flow. We are convinced that we are offering the right product to this highly competitive market and are looking forward to sharing first results with GSE."

"This monitoring project for renewable source plants is unique in the Italian energy landscape," said Nando Pasquali, CEO of GSE.

"Through our choice to use a satellite platform for data collection processes, we have introduced a system which is innovative, flexible, and scalable and covers the entire Italian territory, allowing its use wherever renewable energy is produced. A further advantage of the satellite platform is its low costs, comparable to traditional ADSL networks. Gestore dei Servizi Energetici is the first energy operator to use the satellite for data collection from renewable energy sources on a large scale to supply a more efficient and effective service with great benefits for consumers".