Satellite OC-3 courtesy of Verestar, Intelsat

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Verestar and Intelsat have successfully implemented the first satellite-based OC-3 (155 Mbps) duplex Internet service between the United States and China.

The service uses Verestar's Brewster facilities, in Washington State, which provides access to the Intelsat space segment, as well as direct connectivity to the U.S. fiber backbone. The satellite capacity is a Ku- to Ku-band link offered on the Intelsat spacecraft at 174 degrees east.

"This is a first for us and Intelsat, and we're extremely honored to be providing this level of service to China. We were able to be very creative and came up with a solution that fully met both the price and technical standards," said Prakash Sewpaul, vice president of international sales development for Verestar. "It's a visible indication of the growth we're seeing in international requirements for Internet use. Customers want more and more bandwidth, and it's no longer always asymmetric."

Larry Valenciano, Intelsat group director for the Asia Pacific, said, "We understand the growing needs of the Asia Pacific region, and are pleased to offer the capacity and coverage that our customers required to support this important Internet connection. Intelsat is committed to ensuring that the World Wide Web is, indeed, worldwide. This new link solidifies Intelsat as a key provider of Internet via satellite in Asia. We are currently carrying over 2 Gbps of IP traffic to and from Asia - the equivalent of 400 million Web pages or two billion email messages a day."