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Tiscali and Gilat Satellite Networks Introduce the First pan-European Consumer, Two-way Satellite, Broadband Internet Service
CAGLIARI, Italy & PETAH TIKVA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- June 27, 2001--Tiscali S.p.A. (Nuovo Mercato: TIS; Nouveau Marche: 005773) and Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Nasdaq: GILTF - news) today announced they have entered into an agreement to provide a pan-European consumer, two-way satellite broadband Internet service.
The service will offer always-on, high-speed Internet access to consumer markets and small office/home office (SOHO) users throughout Europe.
Tiscali is one of Europe's largest and fastest-growing Internet communication companies. Gilat is a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology.
Under the agreement, Gilat will serve as the wholesale provider of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications equipment and operations support for the service. Tiscali has started a trial of the new, two-way satellite Internet service with selected numbers of users (http://satellite.tiscali.com) and expects to launch a commercial service in the Autumn. The service is expected to be available all over Europe by the end of the year.
Powered by Gilat technology, Tiscali's two-way satellite service will exceed the geographic limitations of xDSL-based technology by reaching areas not wired for high-speed telephone connections in Europe. The service will also provide customers with the ability to download rich media, audio and video.
Tiscali expects the new service to offer users Internet access speeds up to 10 times higher than normal modem speeds in Europe. Two-way satellite service offers significant benefits for consumers, including a persistent or ``always on'' connection that saves time when connecting to the Internet and eliminates the need for a telephone line dedicated for Internet use. The service will also support multi-PC connectivity for SOHOs in Europe.
``The benefits of this new technology help us deliver broadband Internet to a community that would otherwise be without it, and using the technology of an industry leader like Gilat makes this possible,'' said Mario Mariani, Tiscali's Senior Vice President, International Business to Consumer Division. ``It further demonstrates that Tiscali is dedicated to providing a wide range of network access choices to its customers, whether they are at home, work or on the move. Satellite access will also give us independence from incumbent telecommunications operators in Europe and will enable us to develop products and services of higher value and competitive price,'' Mariani added.
Joshua Levinberg, Gilat's Senior Vice President of Business Development, said, ``This agreement with Tiscali is the latest example of Gilat's strategy to provide VSAT equipment and services on a wholesale basis to the world's leading Internet service providers. With its uniquely broad geographic coverage in Europe, Tiscali is an ideal company for us to join forces with - to help realize our goal of providing Internet-via-satellite solutions to consumers and businesses in Europe.''
Tiscali expects to announce pricing and performance immediately before the commercial launch of the service.
About Tiscali
Tiscali S.p.A. (Nuovo Mercato: TIS; Nouveau Marche: 005773) is one of the largest and fastest-growing Internet Communication Companies in Europe, providing access, content, applications and innovative communication services throughout Europe to 16 million registered subscribers, of which seven million are active, developing a monthly Internet traffic in excess of 3.4 billion minutes, and over 9.5 million monthly unique visitors to its web sites as of March 31, 2001. Visit Tiscali at www.tiscali.com.
About Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., with its global subsidiaries Spacenet Inc., Gilat Europe and Gilat Latin America, is a leading provider of telecommunications solutions based on VSAT satellite network technology. The Company provides satellite-based, end-to-end enterprise networking and rural telephony solutions to customers across six continents, and markets interactive broadband data services. Gilat is a joint venture partner, with Microsoft Corp., EchoStar Communications Corp. and ING Furman Selz Investments, in StarBand Communications Inc., America's first consumer, nationwide, always-on, two-way, high-speed satellite Internet service provider. StarBand is based in McLean, Va. SkyBlaster(TM), Skystar Advantage®, DialAw@y IP(TM) and FaraWay(TM) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Visit Gilat at www.gilat.com and StarBand at www.starband.com.
Certain statements made herein that are not historical are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words ``estimate'', ``project'', ``intend'', ``expect'', ``believe'' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gilat to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, inability to maintain market acceptance to Gilat's products, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, rapid changes in the market for Gilat's products, loss of market share and pressure on prices resulting from competition, introduction of competing products by other companies, inability to manage growth and expansion, loss of key OEM partners, inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, inability to protect the Company's proprietary technology and risks associated with Gilat's international operations and its location in Israel. For additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties associated with Gilat's business, reference is made to Gilat's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
