EUROPE ONLINE NETWORKS S.A. TO LAUNCH INTERNET IN THE SKY VIA ASTRA 19.2° EAST

Europe Online Networks S.A. has contracted two transponders on the ASTRA Satellite System at 19.2° East to launch its "Internet in the Sky" service. The service will be uplinked to ASTRA from SES’ ground station in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

With Europe Online’s ‘Internet in the Sky’ service, Europe will leapfrog the rest of the world, said Candace Johnson, President of Europe Online Networks S.A. Ordinary citizens will be able to gain access to the Internet using existing end-user devices such as televisions and telephones combining their existing broadcast connections such as home satellite and broadband cable with existing return channel ADSL, ISDN and Digital Power Line technology. Our ‘Internet in the Sky’ will allow European mass-consumer access to a richer, more varied, broadband Internet complete with streamed video, virtual games and worlds, directly downloadable digital products such as CD’s, video clips and software for e-commerce as well as casting and web casting for corporate and private networks and caching and professional services for ISP’s. By taking two full transponders on the ASTRA Satellite System, we will be operating the largest mass consumer ‘Internet in the Sky’ service in the world, concluded Candace Johnson.

States Romain Bausch, Director General and Chairman of the Management Committee of SES: The ASTRA Satellite System is evolving from a broadcast platform into a space based ‘multimedia kiosk’, along the lines pursued by SES and SES Multimedia. The digitalization of satellite transmissions allows not only for high quality digital TV and radio services, but also for new innovative services like Internet and e-commerce, in line with SES’ strategy of providing state of the art communications for the electronic society (e-society).

Europe Online’s Internet in the Sky is receivable throughout Europe on Personal Computer’s via plug-in satellite PC cards or Internet-ready digital set top boxes connected to small ASTRA dishes oriented at the orbital location of 19.2° East. Commercial deployment will start on May 15th, 1999. The DVB/MPEG 2 compatible reception technology also offers access to more than 100 digital TV, radio, Internet and multimedia services transmitted free-to-air via the ASTRA Satellite System.

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