[SatNews] SES ASTRA, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), has signed an agreement with the French WIMAX operator Wibox for the distribution of its satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect. Wibox will offer SES ASTRA’s broadband access to end customers, small and home offices as well as small and medium enterprises especially in regions without terrestrial networks.

The marketing will begin in July 2010. Wibox, a subsidiary of the French telecoms operator Altitude Infrastructure, has specialized in providing customers in rural regions with tailored solutions to access the high-speed internet. Wibox will offer ASTRA2Connect to complement its current solutions. In addition to interactive broadband access, users will also benefit from VoIP telephony and TV reception from ASTRA’s orbital position 19.2 degrees East, including hundreds of analogue and digital TV and radio stations. With more than 60,000 end users, ASTRA2Connect offers always-on and interactive broadband internet access for flat service fees, ASTRA2Connect is immediately available anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. ASTRA2Connect is marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers to the residential, industrial and maritime markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.