With the launch of WorldCom Internet VSAT (very small aperture terminal), WorldCom is offering what it terms an industry first -- two-way satellite broadband access for business customers throughout the continental United States. Customers will receive Internet access through a satellite terminal that specifies DirecWay's Business Edition service for businesses.

Give and Take

"This goes beyond the one-way downlink system, and it is a powerful solution for customers," WorldCom spokesperson Natasha Haubold told Wireless NewsFactor. She cited businesses interested in applications for distance learning and enterprise multicasting as examples of VSAT's target markets.

"It has been used for private networks, and our customers include those with offices out of DSL reach. This is accessible to everyone," she added.

The company is not releasing cost figures, but Haubold said VSAT will be priced at a figure above the subscription fee for DSL (digital subscriber line) and below that for a dedicated connection.

Access Anywhere

HNS brings to the table its DirecWay high-speed service and a global IP (Internet protocol) network that reaches the far corners of the world. Download speeds of up to 1 Mbps (megabit per second) are expected, offering multicasting, data -casting, streaming video and interactive services, plus wireless access to IP VPNs (virtual private networking), intranets and extranets.

Operating like a satellite TV system, VSAT uses small satellite dishes to send and receive information in an "always on" service without landline connections.

Hughes in the News

"VSAT is for businesses of all sizes, offering primary connectivity for reliable network backup services, in any location," WorldCom Internet services director Ralph Montfort said.

HNS is run by Hughes Electronics, the target of a buyout by satellite TV rival EchoStar Communications. EchoStar recently offered to pay parent company General Motors (NYSE: GM) US$25.8 billion for Hughes. As the world's largest provider of broadband satellite network communications , HNS has more than 400,000 systems installed in 85 countries.

"Through our partnership with Hughes Network Systems, we can now offer our enterprise customers their own private networks for applications such as remote corporate communications and training anywhere in the United States," said Greg Moore, vice president of Internet services at WorldCom.