HIGH-SPEED
INTERNET ACCESS VIA SATELLITE
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The Cabinet Committee on regional development
(CIADT), meeting on 13 December 2002, reasserted the role of high-speed
internet access in promoting the competitiveness and cohesion
of the French regions. In particular, the Committee decided to
examine the conditions for developing high-speed internet access
via satellite. It significantly reduced the frequency management
fee paid by operators using low-power aerials to provide internet
services via satellite.
Although it will soon be possible to reach 75%
of the French population with wireline technologies like xDSL,
in the current state of the networks they will be available only
on 30 - 40% of the territory.
Among the alternatives to these technologies,
satellite access covers all regions and does not require any onerous
intermediate infrastructure. A satellite platform can be easily
configured to adapt to shifts in the zones covered and user migration.
Satellite technology allows the most isolated
areas to participate in the information and knowledge society.
It also meets the mobility needs of civil protection and defence
agencies.
The development of high-speed internet access
via satellite would have benefits for industrial activity in the
space sector.
The main factors holding back this market for
internet access are the cost of terminals and the roll-out of
suitable satellite infrastructure.
