Luxembourg – SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced that it has signed an agreement with Switzerland’s leading telecom provider, Swisscom, to provide the Astra Connect service in Switzerland.

Swisscom provides nationwide broadband access as part of the Universal Broadband Service Obligation in Switzerland. In about two percent of homes, a DSL broadband Internet access with the required minimum transmission rate is not possible. To provide Internet access in these homes, Swisscom has decided to opt for a bidirectional satellite solution. Starting from September will deploy the Astra Connect service and upgrad the existing access lines.

The Astra Connect service uses Ka-band capacity on SES’s satellite ASTRA 2E, which entered into commercial service in the orbital arc of 28.2 degrees East on 1 February. The solution has been in operation since 2007 and provides next generation broadband services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The high speed broadband service is unaffected by landscape and the satellite signal can be received anywhere, making it a vital solution to those in remote areas. 

“We have chosen to partner with SES for this project as it is renowned for reliable solutions and for being a high quality supplier,” said Peter Eschmann, Head of Broadband Service Obligation, Swisscom. “We are also convinced by the scalability of the Astra Connect solution.”

Swisscom is one of Switzerland’s largest providers of Information, Communication and Technology services. The partnership with SES will allow for thousands of homes to access a high quality Internet connection over satellite.

“We are pleased to be working with Swisscom by providing our satellite Internet service offerings,” said Patrick Biewer, the Managing Director of SES Broadband Services. “We are very proud about this new partnership, which is borne out of our capabilities to deliver and scale our services in accordance with the high quality standards set by Swisscom.”