Led by EADS Astrium, TWISTER will mobilise some of Europe's leading expertise in the area with an overall budget of ¿8.5 million, of which ¿5 million will be funded by the European Commission.

The generalised availability of broadband access at competitive prices is seen as a key enabler of modern public services, including e-government, e-learning, e-health, and of a dynamic business environment. Satellite telecommunication-based solutions are particularly suited to bringing such services to citizens in rural areas and have the potential to provide access to millions of users throughout Europe.

Service to remote regions
The objective of the TWISTER (Terrestrial Wireless Infrastructure integrated with Satellite Telecommunications for E-Rural) project is to support the development of seamless broadband coverage in rural areas, bridging the so-called 'digital divide'. This will entail widespread adoption of bi-directional satellite broadband services combined with wireless (WiFi) local networks.

Launched on 1 February 2004, TWISTER will support innovative applications in more than 100 validation sites throughout Europe (Spain, France, Sweden, Poland, Greece, Malta, others) over a period of three years. Applications will be aimed at meeting specific needs of rural user communities in agriculture, education, community services, health care and e-business.

High-level partnership
The TWISTER consortium, led by EADS Astrium, spans most of the telecommunications value chain, including one of the world's leading satellite operators, a pan-European satellite service provider, leading satellite and wireless equipment and solution providers, universities and research institutes, as well as a variety of users. Partners hail from seven countries, giving the project a truly European scope.

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