Why has my satellite broadband download speed dropped?

Like any shared broadband service, the actual download speeds achieved with satellite broadband will vary depending on how busy the network is. The 20Mbps & 22Mbps speeds advertised by SES Astra & Tooway are maximum 'up to' speeds.

We use an SES Astra connection here in the office & often enjoy speeds of 12 to 20 Mbps during the day. We don't use the connection much in the evening but know that speeds can drop considerably - even to around 2Mbps - at peak usage times.

This week, however, we have noticed a drop in the daytime speeds which are averaging around 4 Mbps. This seemed strange, but after a bit of head scratching & a call to the team at Europasat the reason became clear. Half Term! It is an unfortunate fact that when the little darlings are home from school network usage is very heavy & speeds suffer as a result. Oh well, at least it is only a week this time!

Here is the speed test just completed at 14.55. Nearly 9 Mbps download & 2 Mbps upload. Maybe they are all having lunch ??

Great Offers On SES Astra Satellite Broadband

In conjunction with Europasat we are able to offer some great deals on SES Astra satellite broadband until the end of November 2015.

All new subscriptions made by the end of the month will receive:

• A €40 reduction on the hardware costs.
• A €10 discount on the activation fees (down from €29.99 to €19.99)
• HALF PRICE monthly subscriptions for the first 6 months.

These offers apply to the SES S/M/L packages, the PRO 30 & PRO 50 packages & the unlimited package.

For more information or to take advantage of these great deals please contact me on

info@steve-pritchard.fr

Tooway Beam Closures

Eutelsat, the satellite operator who provide Tooway services, have announced that they will not be taking any new domestic subscriptions from customers in France who are covered by 2 of the main Tooway beams which are now running at full capacity.

The beams in question are 15 and 21 which service large parts of Central, East and South West France. In very broad terms if you are located south of Tours then you are unlikely to be able to subscribe to Tooway. If you are to the North of Tours you may still be able to subscribe although there are significant areas - notably south east of Paris - which are still covered by beam 21.

In light of this announcement we are now recommending SES Astra as the solution of choice for customers looking for satellite broadband in France.

If you would like more information on this or more details of the areas covered by beams 15 & 21 then please don't hesitate to contact us.

Professional tariffs are still available in these areas.

Areas covered fully or in part by beams 15 & 21:

• Aquitaine
• Auvergne
• Bourgogne
• Centre
• Champagne-Ardenne
• Franch-Comte
• Languedoc-Roussillon
• Limousin
• Lorraine
• Midi-Pyrenees
• Poitou-Charentes
• Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
• Rhone-Alpes

SES Astra Speed Tests

I promised to publish some more information on the speeds we are seeing through our SES Astra satellite broadband system here in the office in the Limousin.

We take tests at random times - the results are not intended as any sort of guarantee of the speeds you will receive but we hope these real life examples are useful in helping you decide whether satellite broadband is right for you.

Firstly here is the result of the latest test conducted today the 11/02/2015 at 16.48 French time:

Test from 03/02/2015 at 18.34 French time. Late afternoon is the time we are typically seeing slowest speeds, dropping to around 7 or 8 Mbps:

Test from 27/12/2014 at 14.52 French time:

Test from the 29/12/2014 14.57 French time:

Test from the 23/12/2014 at 19.04 French time:

SPS Now has a Facebook Business Page

SPS now has a Fabebook business page dedicated to satellite broadband in France.

If you use Facebook then we'd really appreciate you dropping by & liking our page!

https://www.facebook.com/satellitebroadbandfrance

Thanks!

Love Broadband! Fantastic February Tooway Promotion!

We are very pleased to be able to offer some great deals on Tooway hardware when you rent or buy your equipment for installation in February.

The discounts offered vary depending on the package you choose (the promotion does not apply to the Tooway 2 package).

Compare the prices below to the standard Tooway hardware prices of  €399 for outright purchase or €99 for contract rental. Pices include VAT / TVA

Hardware Cost	Outright  Purchase £s	Outright  Purchase €s	Contract Rental £s	Contract Rental €s
Tooway 2 No promotion	395.00	395.00	99.00	99.00
Tooway 10	219.00	249.00	55.99	59.99
Tooway 25	199.00	199.00	35.99	39.99
Tooway 40	149.00	159.00	15.99	19.99
Tooway Extra	89.00	99.00	0	0

Under this promotion outright purchase agreements are for 12 months and contract rental for 24 months.

To qualify the equipment must be installed and activated by the 28th February 2015.

Remember - if you want professional installation then we have access to a network of installers across France!

For more details of this amazing offer please contact us on info@steve-pritchard.fr or download the latest package details here:

Current SES Astra Connect packages - view & download detailsCurrent Tooway packages including our February promotion - view & download details

NEW SPS Website Now Online

Our new web site is now available online with more details of the services we provide and the satellite broadband deals available across France.

We have built the site to be fully responsive - that is to say the layout will change depending on the size of screen it is being viewed on. As of January 2015 all websites we develop for clients will have a responsive design as standard - no extra cost. Please contact us if you would like more information about our website design, hosting, SEO & online marketing services.