H3G awards Avanti broadband deal to support national broadband scheme

Broadband satellite firm Avanti Communications has been awarded a deal by Irish cellco H3G Ireland to provide broadband equipment to support the Irish government’s National Broadband Scheme. The EUR43 million (USD56.8 million) scheme is designed to deliver broadband internet access to communities across the Republic that are beyond the reach of more traditional (i.e. copper-wire) telecoms access platforms. It is understood Avanti’s part of the contract is worth EUR5.3 million over three years. Commenting on the contract award, Avanti CEO David Williams said: ‘This contract win further consolidates our European market lead in rural broadband, and we are proud to play our part in helping to advance the Irish digital economy. Gaining approval from a large and experience telecom carrier like Hutchison 3G is a significant milestone in the development of our business. We expect to generate increasing contract wins with large mainstream telecoms carriers now that the place for our product in the European market place is firmly established.’