New satellite system could provide rural broadband service

Funding has been awarded for research into a new satellite system that could address the problem of how to offer web connectivity to rural communities.

Avanti Communications has been awarded €250,000 (£220,172) to research a system named Hercules, which could help provide broadband services of as much as 50 megabits per second to rural communities in the UK.

The company will receive the money from the European Space Agency and the research is to clear any issues that may exist with Hercules if the UK's Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform chooses to adopt it.

David Williams, chief executive of Avanti, said: "It is clear that the demand [for satellite connectivity] now runs into millions, so more capacity will be needed if the government decides to move forward with its digital Britain universal service commitment and this Hercules contract would enable us to respond rapidly."

Satellite connectivity in rural areas could allow more people to use VoIP solutions and access speeds that could enable businesses to remain competitive with urban rivals.

In related news, a number of older web browsers are having difficulty coping with the scale of VoIP take-up.