eSAT Inc., a leading global knowledge provider and creator of satellite-based information delivery systems for businesses, governments and educational institutions, Wednesday announced that the company had initiated an agreement with Greenstar Development World-Wide Inc. to bring a high-speed two-way satellite Internet connection to the West Bank region of Israel.

Under the terms of the agreement, eSAT will install a small 1.2 meter solar-powered satellite dish on the roof of a school in Al-Kaabneh, a remote village south of Hebron near the Dead Sea. The satellite dish and transceiver, along with the necessary transponder and related Internet connections, are scheduled to be fully deployed and operational in February 2000.

According to materials released by eSAT, the village currently has no centralized electrical system and no communication links of any kind to the outside world, but does have a powerful solar power system, as well as a computer and other state-of-the-art equipment that were supplied earlier this year by Greenstar.

"We have executed a Letter of Intent with Greenstar to deploy a bi-directional satellite system in the Middle East in February 2000.

"Our Nexstream technology is capable of delivering a high-speed Internet connection anywhere in the world at a reasonable cost, which makes it ideal for rural locations like the West Bank. Most other satellite systems providing Web connectivity are one-way only -- they receive information via satellite, but use a standard land-line connection like a telephone line to communicate back to the Internet.

"Nexstream works entirely through its satellite Internet connection, communicating both ways through geosynchronous satellites," explained eSAT president and chief executive officer, Michael Palmer.

An interactive electronic commerce-driven Web site has also been developed and was recently launched for the village. The site will combine the products of local artisans with music, artwork and photography that will be sold in a digital format over the Internet via the new system provided by eSAT.

It is expected that this new system will provide jobs, education and training for the area, and will strengthen the local culture and language. The California-based company is also working on plans for joint ventures in the future, which will establish similar services in remote areas of Asia, Europe, Russia, India, Central America, Latin America and Africa.

Greenstar Development World-Wide and its non-profit affiliate, Greenstar Foundation, operate with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy, and collaborate with the World Resources Institute, the United Nations development Programme, PEOPLink and Unisong to bring basic human services to emerging communities around the world.

eSAT is a global knowledge provider via satellite for businesses, educational and government institutions. The company's core product line provides Internet access and service through its Global Satellite Internet (GSI) gateway. eSAT's GSI gateway is a delivery system for documents, images, video and data.