Atlanta - CyberStar, L.P., a newcomer to the world of satellite-based wireless services, launched its first high-bandwidth transport services this week at NetWorld+Interop.
The CyberStar Service is a global broadband IP multicasting service that allows business users to send high-bandwidth voice, video and data files to branch offices.
With CyberStar, customers pay for the bandwidth they use, rather than signing up for a flat-rate service, says Christopher Dittmer, vice president of worldwide marketing at CyberStar.
Pricing for the CyberStar Service is based on the amount of traffic that is sent each month and the number of sites that are receiving that traffic. For example, a customer will pay $2.60 per site per month to transmit 250M bytes worth of traffic to 301 to 600 sites, which translates to $783 to $1560.
Customers that have higher bandwidth demands will logically pay more. For instance, if a customer sends 1G byte worth of traffic per month to 301 to 600 sites will pay $8 per user, which equals $2,408 to $4,800.
Customers are charged initial installation costs that typically run about $1,100 per site, which includes antennas, satellite receiver cards and service activation fees.
CyberStar has not launched its own satellites to support its services. The company relies on its sister company SkyNet's GEO satellites. CyberStar and SkyNet are Loral Space & Communications subsidiaries. CyberStar will also team with other satellite companies as the service grows to ensure redundant, global coverage, Dittmer says.
Early next year, CyberStar plans to launch a videostreaming service that will let users send traffic over CyberStar's network in real time. CyberStar's existing services are based on store-and-forward technology.
RELATED LINKS
Why satellite-based communications make sense
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