WildBlue High-Speed Internet via Satellite Triples Capacity with New Satellite 03/20/2007
Denver, Colorado — WildBlue announced that it began offering high-speed Internet
via satellite service through its new satellite, WildBlue-1, earlier today. WildBlue
provides broadband Internet access via satellite to homes and small businesses not
currently served, or underserved, by other high-speed providers. WildBlue launched
commercial service via the Anik F2 satellite in June of 2005, and currently has
over 130,000 customers nationwide.
WildBlue-1 will allow WildBlue to more than triple its customer capacity, making
high-speed Internet service available to more than 750,000 rural consumers throughout
the continental United States. WildBlue expects that the additional capacity accessible
on WildBlue-1 will be available to all areas of the contiguous United States by
the second quarter of 2007. WildBlue will also continue to utilize its capacity
on Anik F2, alongside WildBlue-1.
"The launch of WildBlue-1 went extremely well, and we are now utilizing the additional
capacity that this new satellite provides," said David Leonard, WildBlue’s CEO.
"WildBlue is eager to offer WildBlue’s high-speed Internet service to those rural
consumers across the United States who have been waiting for an affordable alternative
to dial-up."
WildBlue offers fast, reliable Internet service in three service packages to consumers
and small businesses across the contiguous U.S. for as little as $49.95 per month.
WildBlue features download speeds of up to 1.5Mbps, competitive with other high-speed
services available in the market today. All packages include Internet Service Provider
(ISP) services such as e-mail and Web space, the WildBlue Portal (featuring the
latest news, information and entertainment), customer care, and an equipment warranty.
WildBlue‘s equipment is available for $299 and certified professional installation
is free.
To celebrate this service expansion, new WildBlue customers will receive one month
of any service package free of charge in March and April.
An always-on broadband Internet connection, WildBlue’s service offers access speeds
that are up to thirty times faster than dial-up. WildBlue's two-way broadband service
provides high-speed data in both directions, upstream and downstream. Customers
do not need an additional phone or cable line in order to receive broadband Internet
service from WildBlue.
WildBlue’s fast, reliable Internet service is available by calling 1-866-WILDBLUE
(1-866-945-3258) or by visiting www.wildblue.com for information on local dealers.
December 08, 2006 - WildBlue successfully launches WildBlue 1 Satellite
Denver, Colorado – WildBlue Communications announced that its Ka-band spot beam
satellite, WildBlue-1 was successfully launched this evening at 5:08p.m. EST from
the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. WildBlue provides high-speed Internet
connectivity via satellite to homes and small businesses in communities where terrestrial
broadband access is either limited or unavailable. MEDIA NOTE: This release will
also be distributed in multimedia form via PR Newswire shortly -- including links
to video footage of the actual launch of flight 174 and additional satellite animation
imagery and photos.
WildBlue-1 was successfully launched into orbit aboard Arianespace’s Ariane 5 vehicle
(Flight 174). WildBlue-1 will be put into operational service at the 111.1° West
longitude orbital location.
“We are pleased to announce the successful launch of our new satellite,” said David
Leonard, Chief Executive Officer of WildBlue. “WildBlue has experienced tremendous
growth since launching commercially in June of 2005, and with WildBlue-1, we will
soon be able to make WildBlue service available to more than 750,000 rural consumers.”
WildBlue-1, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, is expected to handle WildBlue’s
continuing rapid customer growth into 2008 and beyond. WildBlue launched service
in the 3rd Quarter of 2005 and currently serves more than 100,000 customers nationwide
with its initial satellite capacity aboard Telesat Canada’s Anik F2 satellite. WildBlue
will continue serving customers on the Anik F2 satellite, adding new customers to
WildBlue-1 once the satellite is fully operational (expected by March 2007).
WildBlue-1 is a 4.7 metric ton (at launch) high power satellite based on Space Systems/Loral’s
1300 spacecraft bus and provides Ka-band spot beam capacity over the contiguous
United States. Spot beam Ka-band satellites are a key component in WildBlue’s low-cost
wireless broadband infrastructure. WildBlue also utilizes the Ka-band spot beam
capacity over the United States on Telesat Canada’s Anik F2 satellite (as mentioned
above), which was launched by Arianespace in July 2004.
An always-on broadband Internet connection, WildBlue’s service offers access speeds
up to 30 times faster than dial-up. WildBlue's two-way satellite service provides
wireless high-speed data in both upstream and downstream directions. Customers do
not need a phone or cable line in order to receive broadband Internet access. Customers
should call 1-866-WILDBLUE or visit their local WildBlue dealer to get service.
April 28, 2006 - New Services from 4WildBlue
4WildBlue.com is now proud to begin offering
upgrades with the sale of each WildBlue system. These upgrades will allow
our customers to take full advatage of their broadband system with networking equipment,
cameras, music systems, and other tools to help your entire household or business
work and play better.
4WildBlue.com is also proud to begin offering
Free DirecTV upgrades with the sales of each WildBlue system. Internetanal
Satellite, 4WildBlue's parent company, has been a DirecTV dealer since the first
week of service. In fact, International Satellite received one of the first 100
DirecTV system ever offered to the public. 4WildBlue will continue this tradition
by offering nationwide upgrades to customer’s WildBlue systems at time of purchase.
January 27, 2006 - Modem Issues
Dear WildBlue Installer,
There have been some issues with modems. When modems are built, the manufacturer
installs the latest software and firmware. Depending on transit and storage time,
a modem may not contain the newest version of firmware or software when it is brought
to a customer's house and provisioned. When an installer goes onsite and plugs in
a modem, it initially syncs with the satellite, and the installer is able to begin
provisioning. After the installer has entered the appropriate information duringthe
initial provisioning process, the modem reboots and syncs to the satellite for a
second time to complete the provisioning process.
In modems with older versions of the firmware, we are seeing the second reboot/sync
period take much longer than installers are typically used to thus leading them
to believe the modem is defective. There is no need to swap this modem for a new
modem; it simply needs to cycle through frequencies until it finds the correct one.
WildBlue has informed us that this cycling could take up to four (4) hours to complete
with the older firmware in place. Once the modem syncs for the second time, all
versions of firmware and software are updated on the modem via the satellite. If
installers encounter this issue, they should not attempt to power-cycle the modem
multiple times to assist it in acquiring the signal. This will have little or no
effect on speeding up the signal acquisition process. WildBlue recommends leaving
the attenuation pads and APA in place until the modem is fully provisioned.
NRTC staff and WildBlue's engineering team are actively working on a solution to
this issue. As soon as a solution has been tested and verified, we will communicate
the solution to all members and installers. In the meantime, NRTC has acquired a
list of modem serial numbers that contain older versions of firmware and have not
yet been provisioned. We are currently cross-referencing this list with our shipping
records to determine how many remain in our Arkansas warehouse and which members
have modems with older versions of firmware in their inventory. We will contact
those members directly with specific serial numbers.
The Revised Provisioning Process
Prior to powering the modem and before pointing and peaking the WildBlue dish, you
must attach the 10dB and 20dB attenuation pads in-line tothe receive terminal on
the back of the modem (this is a change in process from where you have previously
been connecting the attenuation pads). Once you have the attenuation pads in place
at the modem and have connected the receive-side cable to the attenuation pads,
you can then power up the modem and begin pointing and peaking the system. The attenuation
pads should be left in place until the installer has fully provisioned the WildBlue
modem. At that time, the installer can power down the modem, remove the attenuation
pads, reconnect the receive cable to the modem and power up the modem.
NRTC To Notify Members With Affected Modems
NRTC staff and WildBlue's engineering team continue to work on a permanent solution
to this issue. As soon as a permanent solution has been tested and verified, we
will communicate the solution to all members and installers. In the meantime, NRTC
has acquired a list of modem serial numbers that contain older versions of firmware
and have not yet been provisioned. We have cross-referenced this list with our shipping
records to determine how many remain in our Arkansas warehouse and which members
have modems with older versions of firmware in their inventory. We will e-mail the
designated WildBlue Business Manager directly with specific serial numbers beginning
Monday, Jan. 30. If you do not receive an e-mail on Monday, you do not have modems
affected by this issue.
January 7, 2006 - FAP
Q. Why did WildBlue lower the FAP levels?
A. WildBlue's satellite-delivered broadband network is a shared network. WildBlue
lowered the thresholds to allow the normal WildBlue user better browsing speeds
and ensure that all WildBlue customers have an equitable experience across the WildBlue
network. Through the initial months, it was discovered that the original FAP levels
were allowing some users to possibly influence the browsing speeds of others. To
help balance the experience, WildBlue has made this change.
Q. How do FAP levels relate to the "speed" of the WildBlue Service?
A. The FAP Levels indicate the amount of usage any account may have within a 30-day
rolling period and the speed indicates a maximum "up to" amount at which that usage
may be transported. If the usage limit is exceeded within the 30-day rolling period,
the speed is reduced until the usage limit reaches 80 percent of the rolling 30-day
threshold.
Q. Why are WildBlue FAP Levels unfair and/or too low?
A. The FAP Thresholds are approximately five times what an average broadband Internet
user uses in a month and two to three times more than what our competitors offer.
WildBlue strives to offer an equitable and fair access to all users of the WildBlue
service and may change the FAP thresholds periodically to ensure a few users do
not influence the experience of others.
Q. Can I buy more bandwidth?
A. No. At this time you must adhere to the current thresholds which are:
WildBlue FAP Monthly Usage Thresholds
|
|
Value Pak |
Select Pak |
Pro Pak |
|
Upload Threshold (MB) |
2,300 |
3,000 |
5,000 |
|
Download Threshold (MB)
|
7,500 |
12,000 |
17,000 |
However, if a user is being fapped and they have the Value Pak or Select Pak, they
can upgrade to a higher package. This does create an opportunity to upsell the subscriber.
Q. When will I become un-fapped?
A. You will become un-fapped when usage falls below 80 percent of your threshold.
Q. How can I monitor my usage daily to prevent being Fapped?
A. You can view your usage in the Admin. Tool under the “Last 30 Rolling Days” heading.
Q. How does the rolling 30 days work?
A. NRTC communicated the FAP changing to a rolling 30 days to our members on Nov.
30, 2005. Everyday, WildBlue measures your upload and download usage (“Actual Usage”)
to determine if your total Actual Usage, as aggregated over the previous 30 days
(“Usage Total”), exceeds the Usage Threshold for the service plan that you selected.
Q. What if my usage in January is between the old threshold and the new lower threshold?
Will I be fapped?
A. In January, you will not be fapped as long as you are below the old threshold
limit. But on Feb. 1, if you are above the new threshold, you will be fapped.
December 15, 2006 - CEO Letter
As the year comes to an end, things here at WildBlue have been both hectic and exciting,
and we thought it was a good time to share some of our latest highlights with you.
Since WildBlue launched service this summer, things have been progressing very smoothly.
We are proceeding with our regional rollouts across the country, and WildBlue is
now available in every mainland state through our dealer network and the rural electric
and telephone companies of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC).
We currently have over 600 retailers and expect to grow this number to 1,200 by
the end of the first quarter of 2006.
Customer satisfaction has also been extremely high, with over 94% of current customers
reporting that they are "happy" or "very happy" with their WildBlue service. As
you may know, that is an extremely high rating for a service business, especially
a telecommunications business that has just launched. In addition, 9 out of 10 of
our customers said they would recommend WildBlue to a friend or family member. That
high customer satisfaction rate has helped us expand our customer base more quickly
than we had anticipated - we will have over 25,000 customers by the end of 2005
even though we are just recently enjoying more complete geographic retailer coverage.
Due to the popularity of the WildBlue service, we have seen capacity
constraints in certain areas, however we are in the process of updating our network
to match the increased demand in these hot spots, and we should be able to resume
full installations nationwide in 2006. Here is one of my favorite quotes from a
satisfied local WildBlue customer:"I love my high speed Internet!!! I live 7 miles
out of Parker on 40 acres. I was limited to dial up access. Your service is something
that I've been waiting for!! The whole installation was very professional, from
the phone call to set up the install date, right down to the workmanship." Debbie,
Parker CO Our dealers have been both eager and pleased to add the WildBlue service
to their offerings:
"For Harrisonville Telephone Company, WildBlue provides a great addition to our
broadband service offerings," stated Craig Hern, Vice President of Internet Operations
for the NRTC member located in Waterloo, Illinois. "Now virtually 100% of our area,
no matter where customers are located, can enjoy the benefits of high-speed Internet
surfing. Our customers' satisfaction has been very positive and they are excited
to finally have a viable alternative for high-speed Internet access.""Taking on
the WildBlue product line has been rewarding and productive. I have seen a great
increase in sales and margins by offering high speed Internet service via satellite
from WildBlue," said C.Geno, President of Skylynks in Lebanon, NH. "The customers
love it!" Our current satellite ANIKF2 is performing very well. Our second satellite
WildBlue 1 is fully built, and plans are underway to launch it in the fourth quarter
of 2006. WildBlue 1 has been built to handle an extremely large number of customers,
and it will help to ensure that we are able to handle 100% of customer demand into
the distant future.WildBlue also is renting additional space in our corporate headquarters
here in Greenwood Village, Colorado to help maintain the infrastructure necessary
to meet the growing demand for our service.2006 will be a very exciting year for
WildBlue and our high-speed Internet via satellite business. We look forward to
sharing our continued progress with you in the months to come. Thank you for your
interest, and on behalf of everyone at WildBlue, I wish you a joyous holiday season,
and a happy New Year.
Thank you,
Dave Leonard
CEO WildBlue
December 08, 2005
Denver,Colorado - WildBlue Communications, Inc. announced today that 94% of its
subscribers were satisfied or very satisfied with their high speed Internet via
satellite service. The company conducted its first customer satisfaction review
in mid-November with independent research firms Aspen Media and Market Research
and Highline Research Group. WildBlue provides affordable high-speed Internet access
via satellite to homes and small businesses in communities not currently served,
or underserved, by other high speed providers.
As part of the 94% overall satisfaction rate, WildBlue received excellent scores
for installation quality, reliability, download and upload speeds and customer care.
According to Tom Burkhart, Senior Vice President of Highline Research Group, WildBlue
received one of the highest satisfaction levels that the market research company
has ever recorded.
In addition, 9 out of 10 respondents said they would recommend the WildBlue service
to a friend or neighbor.
WildBlue's Customer Satisfaction Research survey was conducted November 15th through
the 21st by Aspen Media and Market Research and Highline Research Group. The firms
conducted 800 interviews with WildBlue customers who were installed prior to Oct.
15, 2005. Results were tabulated and analyzed using standard statistical criteria
and the margin of error for this survey is no greater than plus or minus 4%.
"We are overwhelmed with the positive results from our first customer survey," said
Dave Leonard, WildBlue's Chief Executive Officer. "We are pleased that we are able
to bring our affordable, two-way broadband to people virtually anywhere, regardless
of where they work or live, and that our customers are so happy with the service
we are providing them."