17 Jun 2009 07:00
Date: 17 June 2009
On behalf of: Avanti Communications Group plc ("Avanti" or "the Company")
Embargoed until: 0700hrs
Avanti Communications Group plc
Response To Digital Britain Report
In response to Lord Carter's Digital Britain Report published yesterday, David Williams, Chief Executive of Avanti Communications Group plc (AIM: AVN), the broadband satellite, operator made the following statement:
"Avanti believes that terrestrial infrastructure has persistently over-promised and under-delivered to rural communities and we do not see this changing. Satellite broadband is the only technically proven and economically viable solution to the problem of the 10% of population identified by the Digital Britain report and we welcome the announcement that the provision of service to these consumers will be accelerated by government intervention and funding, which we expect to benefit our HYLAS satellite.
"We note with interest the desire to deliver 50Mb services to the last third or the population and welcome the fund established to pay for this. Avanti's Next Generation Hercules project, already the subject of government seed funding, will be well placed to deliver this fund's objectives.
"With approximately 17.6m broadband lines installed, the planned fund's 50p per line per month supplement would generate over £100m per annum. Avanti is confident that 50Mb Universal Broadband can be delivered by the Hercules project comfortably within these resources."
Enquiries to:
| Avanti Communications Group plc | http://www.avanti-communications.com/ |
| David Williams/ Nigel Fox | 020 7749 1600 |
| Redleaf Communications Ltd | avanti@redleafpr.com |
| Samantha Robbins/ Paul Dulieu | 020 7566 6700 |
| Cenkos Securities | |
| Ivonne Cantu/ Julian Morse | 020 7678 8000 |
Notes to Editors:
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