JSAT Corp. will begin satellite-based high-speed Internet service for municipalities, schools and hospitals on Japan's remote islands and mountainous areas to help narrow the so-called digital divide, company officials said Monday.
The planned service will enable areas where land-based fiber-optic and ADSL connections are unavailable for broadband Internet service to gain access via small parabolic antennas, the JSAT officials said.
This will be the first satellite-based broadband service in Japan specifically aimed at narrowing the Internet availability gap.
The satellite communications company has already conducted tests for the service in Okinawa and plans to begin a full campaign this month to solicit orders for the two-way, fixed-rate Internet service, according to the officials.