New rocket for satellite that could benefit VoIP solutions

A satellite designed to help benefit VoIP hardware and deliver broadband services in rural areas is switching rocket systems to get it into orbit sooner.

Originally intended to be launched into space on a US-built Falcon Nine rocket, the UK's Hylas spacecraft will now use a more expensive model as ongoing tests on the Falcon Nine have resulted in delays, reports the BBC.

Avanti Communications has now gained financial support to pay for the switch as demand for broadband delivered by satellite technology has grown in recent years.

David Williams, chief executive of Avanti, told the BBC: "It's turned out that our market was very much bigger than many of us thought and I now have a blue-chip shareholder base that is prepared to pay for the certainty and reliability of the world's best launch vehicle."

The Hylas satellite weighs nearly three tonnes and will provide broadband services to 350,000 customers across Europe through the Ka radio band when it is launched in 2010.

Although initially more expensive than regular broadband connections, the cost of satellite services could fall as demand rises.