Eutelsat (News - Alert) Communications, a satellite operator, has announced key improvements to its Tooway satellite service. The service improvement is due to an upgrade of the digital modulation scheme of the KA-SAT infrastructure, from 8PSK to 16APSK, generating a noteworthy increase in the system's total throughput. With the improved satellite service, Eutelsat will augment the speed and affordability of consumer satellite broadband across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.

The improved Tooway satellite service now offers download speeds of up to 18 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 6Mbps, with consumption profiles of up to 50 gigabytes per month. This indicates that the consumer package has been improved by 18Mbps from 10Mbps, with high volume allowances across the range. Customers do not have to pay any additional cost as pricing remains the same. The company is also launching a new entry level package, which will offer download speeds of up to 2Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1Mbps for an expected retail price from EUR 19.90. Eutelsat's broadband partner, Skylogic, is also rolling out an attractive hardware rental program in some nations to allow distributors the option to rent user equipment to new customers.

In a press release, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, said, “Today's announcement shows our commitment to further enhancing the performance of the Tooway service which is fundamentally about connecting people - both those in areas unserved and underserved by ADSL. The update last month of the EU's Digital Scorecard shows that as many as 10 million homes in the EU27 are still not broadband-equipped. This means there is still work to be done to meet the objectives of the Digital Agenda in Europe and at a broader level across the full KA-SAT footprint. We believe that the enhanced Tooway service and the improved user equipment program will forward the move to satellite broadband for those still struggling with mediocre Internet access, depriving them of the social and economic benefits of broadband.”

Eutelsat was recently in news when Serbia Broadband (SBB) and the company announced that they are expanding their collaboration. The collaboration was marked with an agreement between Serbia's most progressive media company and Eutelsat's Skylogic affiliate to distribute the Tooway satellite broadband service in six Balkan countries.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO. Follow us on Twitter.