A new satellite, known as HYLAS 1, is due to launch later this evening and promises to bring broadband to many rural locations in Ireland for the first time. HYLAS 1 is the first dedicated satellite to deliver high speed, two-way data services across Europe.
Today’s launch is a commercial venture by London based start-up Avanti Communications. The overall project has cost £120 million and is funded by investors, as well as the UK and European space agencies.
It’s reported that the satellite will deliver between 2MB and 10MB broadband to consumers for as a little as €25 per month.
Countries that will benefit from the satellite include Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia.
An Ariane 5 rocket carrying HYLAS 1 will launch from The Guiana Space Center at 18:39 this evening and can be streamed live from the Arianespace website.