WildBlue announced today that it has began offering high-speed Internet through its new satellite, WildBlue-1. WildBlue provides broadband Internet access via satellite to homes and small businesses not currently served, or underserved, by other high-speed providers. WildBlue launched commercial service via the Anik F2 satellite in June of 2005, and currently has over 130,000 customers nationwide.

WildBlue says its new WildBlue-1 platform will allow them to triple their customer capacity, making high-speed Internet service available to more than 750,000 rural consumers throughout the continental United States. WildBlue expects that the additional capacity accessible on WildBlue-1 will be available to all areas of the contiguous United States by the second quarter of 2007. WildBlue will also continue to utilize its capacity on Anik F2, alongside WildBlue-1.

Prime candidates for WildBlue’s data service are the estimated 10-15 million rural users who can get neither DSL nor cable modem service.

WildBlue’s 2-way internet service starts as little as $49.95 per month. All packages include Internet Service Provider (ISP) services such as e-mail and Web space, the WildBlue Portal (featuring the latest news, information and entertainment), customer care, and an equipment warranty. WildBlue‘s satellite terminal equipment is available for $299 and certified professional installation is free.

WildBlue’s main competitor is Hughes Network Systems, or HughesNet, which has 325,000 U.S. subscribers. It leases capacity on commercial satellites, but is launching its own satellite, SpaceWay 3 in August.

Rupurt Murdoch, majority owner of DirecTV, sold his interest in the two way satellite service, DirecWay, to SkyTerra Holdings in January, 2006, for $100 million. SkyTerra formed Hughes Communications, now HughesNet. Murdock kept, but modified his inventory of Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2 satellites, changing them from two-way internet satellites to one-way spotbeam HDTV birds.

SkyTerra received from DirecTV the remaining (unmodified) Spaceway 3 satellite. They will operate it as a 2-way internet access satellite service (in competition to WildBlue). SkyTerra also has a geostationary satellite phone platform in the works (utilizing terrestrial repeaters). No satellite television on the SkyTerra birds — they’re for fixed (and mobile) data access.

Two-way satellite provider StarBand Communications, previously operated by Echostar, was acquired by Spacenet, a division of Gilat, in March 2005 and now operates the service using the Ku band (12/14 GHz).

The Washington Post says HughesNet is not expected to compete directly with traditional broadband and DSL because satellite service is more expensive to deliver. Hughes’s basic monthly service starts at $60/month.

Related DailyWireless articles include; WildBlue Partners with DirecTV & Echostar, John Malone in Space, Be Your Own TV Network, WildBlue: AT&T’s DeathStar?, HughesNet Beams Up and WildBlue V-Sat.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 4:55 pm.