SES ASTRA has announced that it has closed a distribution agreement with Starsat to market its satellite broadband access ASTRA2Connect in Albania. Starsat has been serving customers with satellite-based broadband and data solutions since 2003.

It has added ASTRA2Connect to its portfolio of services to offer its customers a reliable satellite broadband solution at competitive prices.

Starsat is also part of an initiative of the Albanian government which intends to equip Albanian schools with a broadband connection. The company will use ASTRA2Connect to install a satellite broadband connection for close to 600 schools in the rural areas of Albania.

The project is realized by the Albanian Ministry of Education and financed by the Albanian government and the World Bank.

"The additional agreement shows that the acceptance of satellite broadband is constantly increasing," said Patrick Biewer, Vice President Technology of ASTRA Broadband Services, SES ASTRA's broadband subsidiary.

"We currently offer ASTRA2Connect in 20 European countries and large parts of Central, Eastern and Western Africa as well as in the Middle East. The school project in Albania is a further example of how ASTRA2Connect can deliver broadband connections to remote locations and facilitate modern teaching. "

"We are very proud to market ASTRA2Connect to our customers in the rural regions of Albania," said Dritan Vreshta, General Manager at Starsat.

"SES ASTRA's innovative solution has an impressively high performance and reliability. By including further features such as VoIP to the system, ASTRA2Connect offers the best value with the right combination of price and quality."

With more than 60,000 customers ASTRA2Connect is the largest satellite-based broadband network in Europe.

Offering always-on and interactive broadband internet access for flat service fees, ASTRA2Connect is immediately available anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. ASTRA2Connect is marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers to the residential, industrial and maritime markets.