WildBlue Communications began offering Internet access services using its new Ka-band spot beam satellite, WildBlue-1. The new satellite allows WildBlue to more than triple its customer capacity, making high-speed Internet service available to more than 750,000 rural consumers throughout the continental United States. WildBlue expects that the additional capacity accessible on WildBlue-1 will be available to all areas of the contiguous United States by the second quarter of 2007. WildBlue will also continue to utilize its capacity on Anik F2, alongside WildBlue-1. 
WildBlue provides broadband Internet access via satellite to homes and small businesses not currently served, or underserved, by other high-speed providers.
WildBlue launched commercial service via the Anik F2 satellite in June of 2005, and currently has over 130,000 customers nationwide.
The new WildBlue-1, which was launched in December 2006 aboard Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana, is a 4.7 metric ton high-power satellite based on Space Systems/Loral’s 1300 spacecraft bus. It provides Ka-band spot beam capacity over the contiguous United States. Spot beam Ka-band satellites are a key component in WildBlue’s low-cost wireless broadband infrastructure. WildBlue also utilizes the Ka-band spot beam capacity over the United States on Telesat Canada’s Anik F2 satellite.
http://www.wildblue.com
