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Monday June 5, 7:33 am Eastern Time
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2000--AlphaStar International (Greenwich, CT) announced the successful completion of a demonstration of an Internet Broadband network integrating two-way satellite and wireless local access. The demonstration integrated AlphaStar's two-way satellite global coverage with Cisco System's wireless technology.
Last month, AlphaStar announced the deployment of a high speed Internet and intranet broadband network called www.telecrossing.net. TeleCrossing Introduced a hybrid technology integrating for the first time two-way satellite global coverage with a network of wireless local access hubs. TeleCrossing provides Internet broadband access that is always on, dedicated and fully interactive with high speed up to 32 Mbps in an increment or fraction of 2 Mbps, symmetrical or asymmetrical.
TeleCrossing began deployment and marketing in selective residential and business markets. By the end of the year 2000 the company will deploy 400 wireless local hubs and connect them all together via satellite as one network. According to Mahmoud Wahba, president and founder of TeleCrossing, ``The pace of deployment will accelerate dramatically in the following years and will include a major global expansion.'' Wahba states further, ``The services will be price competitive with DSL and Cable modem for both business and residential Internet users. In some markets the monthly fees will start as low as $29.95 without additional payments for local Internet access.'' All the subscriber needs is a radio antenna connected by a small modem to desktop computers, laptops, set-top boxes, printers, fax machines or scanners. All high-speed broadband applications will be available including streaming, multimedia and video on demand (VOD). Wahba states, ``The company is seeking strategic partners to offer the services via handheld and mobile computing and entertainment devices.''
Integrating satellites with wireless local access has many advantages. The network covers both global and local geographical areas anywhere. It originates, aggregates and distributes both global and local content at truly high speed uploading and downloading. TeleCrossing can be deployed quickly with flexibility and affordability. The all-wireless network allows mobility of Internet access and the use of computing and entertainment handheld devices for future growth. TeleCrossing bypasses the congested terrestrial backbone and the phone carriers entirely. The network offers a dedicated private and secure line to each Internet user. Additionally, for intranet and business users, TeleCrossing offers several configurations of Virtual Private Network (VPN) that can be encrypted and completely secured by the use of conditional access. Two-way-satellite uses a small dish at the wireless local hub to send and receive broadband content without the need for the phone line for a return path. TeleCrossing eliminates the need for a residential satellite dish on the roof or the ground of the subscriber's home. As a result the network can be installed at the subscriber's home easily and requires little or no maintenance (Say goodbye to the residential satellite dish everywhere!)
TeleCrossing offers an immediate and more reliable alternative to cable modem and DSL in urban, suburban and rural markets. TeleCrossing marketing objectives are to target Internet and intranet users who are a) unserved, b) underserved, c) dissatisfied with cable or DSL services or, d) the disenfranchised who fall in the digital divide. Cable penetrates only 64% of American households while DSL can only reach one third of internet users due to distance limitations. TeleCrossing can reach geographically remote areas or areas that are rendered virtually remote due to the lack or insufficiency of fiber and cable network, whether these be urban, suburban and rural areas. For example, many of the suburbs of New York City are rendered virtually remote because of the weakness of the fiber or cable infrastructure. Try to get DSL in parts of Greenwich, CT or use cable after 6 pm in Scarsdale NY, or Fort Lee, NJ. Some of the Internet users in well-served markets are concerned with sharing bandwidth with their neighbors and the possible breach of security or privacy when they use cable modem. DSL users, on the other hand, are concerned with the complexity of wire installation, the entanglement with the phone companies and speed fluctuations and unpredictability. At the other extreme, a recent study showed that in the USA, there are 12 states that are at the risk of falling behind the rest of the country due to the lack of fiber hubs for broadband access. They were named the ``Disconnected Dozen.'' They include the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. Most countries of the world lack a terrestrial backbone and cannot deploy it. TeleCrossing can provide an immediate and economical broadband solution to these ``disconnected'' markets both in the USA and globally.
About AlphaStar International
AlphaStar is one of the original four Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite television broadcasting companies, including DirecTV, Echo Star, PrimeStar and AlphaStar. The company now specializes in Internet and intranet Broadband content origination, aggregation, multimedia data storage, streaming media services and distribution via both fiber and satellite live 24/7 or on demand.
AlphaStar's teleport, located in Oxford, Connecticut, on twelve acres is one of only a dozen Ku-band facilities in the world specializing in video and multimedia with extensive capacity and scalability. (For a view go to tour our teleport, www.telecrossing.net.) The teleport allows the Downlinking and Uplinking of satellite feeds using Ku, C bands and Vsat connections and the reception via a small dish. Additionally, the teleport is connected by 24 dark fibers to the terrestrial backbone of the Internet allowing the delivery of multiple terabit and beyond. The teleport has been fully licensed by the FCC since 1996. The teleport cannot be replicated without spending tens of millions of dollars and considerable time to obtain zoning permits and construction, creating an immediate barrier to entry. Built on a mountaintop as part of President Reagan's ``Star Wars'' program, it was intended originally to protect the US by tracking the former Soviet Union's satellites. As a result the teleport is geographically located where it can downlink and uplink satellite feeds from most countries around the globe. The Teleport is capable of broadcasting and streaming tens of thousands of TV and multimedia channels and providing all teleport services and Internet broadband applications.
Contact:
Media and Investor relations
AlphaStar International
Mahmoud A. Wahba
Phone: 203-531-5555 Fax: 203/531-6903
mahmoud@TeleCrossing.net
or
Business Development
TeleCrossing
Roger C. Wise or Skip Standish
Phone: 203-264-3366 Fax: 203/262-1840
teleport@TeleCrossing.net