Canadian rural broadband specialist Xplore has confirmed that it will launch 100Mbps (download) satellite internet services this autumn (fall), doubling its existing satellite broadband top speed and matching the 100Mbps/10Mbps (downlink/uplink) performance of its ‘5G Home Internet’ fixed wireless access (FWA) packages. Xplore’s upcoming services – using the bandwidth of the newly launched EchoStar XXIV ‘JUPITER 3’ geo-synchronous (GEO) satellite which entered orbit on 28 July – will also feature higher data volumes, its website states.
The geographical coverage of JUPITER 3 includes 80% of Xplore’s current customers, and the operator says its next-generation satellite broadband services are aimed at communities outside of the deployment zones for its fibre and 5G FWA networks. The company will not charge any upfront hardware costs for JUPITER 3-based packages, while its existing satellite customers ‘will have priority to get service on the new platform’, although they will incur a conversion fee to make the switch. ‘Special offers and incentives at launch’ are also promised.