New modem to be released from Starband. Below is a press release that I received from Starband regarding the new modem that will be released.  It appears to be the 360E renamed to "480 Pro", although this has not be validated.  At the time of this writing, it appears to be unclear as to exactly how this will be released, but speculation is that it will be offered only to the SOHO (Small Office Home Office) customers and not to the residential side.    Look for my opinions about this press release following the text of the release. StarBand to Launch Professional-Strength ‘480 Pro’ Satellite Modem Fourth generation satellite modem delivers extra connectivity options, extra fast and extra easy Las Vegas, NV, CES Booth # 27171, January 9, 2003 – StarBand, America’s first consumer high-speed, two-way satellite Internet provider, today announced the launch of the StarBand 480 Pro, a professional-strength, network-ready, business-grade satellite modem delivering faster speeds, instant networking capability and enhanced software embedded on the modem allowing greater connectivity and software options. The StarBand 480 Pro provides high performance service with peak download speeds of more than one megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds two to three times faster than current StarBand service. “Today we added another dimension to the depth and breadth of the StarBand product line,” said StarBand Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Zur Feldman. “The StarBand 480 Pro is proof that StarBand listens to our customers and delivers on their needs. It showcases our commitment to be the pioneer in delivering a range of higher-speed satellite Internet solutions to the marketplace.” The StarBand 480 Pro satellite modem, developed for StarBand by Gilat Satellite Networks, integrates a four-port Ethernet router enabling instant networking of multiple personal computers to provide maximum flexibility for networked environments. With the product software and intelligence now embedded on the satellite modem, business customers enjoy networked high-speed access over such local area network (LAN) solutions as – Windows, UNIX, Linux, Macintosh and other Ethernet platforms. “The StarBand 480 Pro is truly plug and play,” said StarBand Sales & Marketing Vice President Howard Lossing. “With no software to load and no drivers to install, the new StarBand 480 Pro delivers a robust gateway. We think the new features, the faster speed and the added value built in to the StarBand 480 Pro make it extremely attractive to small businesses and corporate teleworkers.” The StarBand 480 Pro will have a limited roll out to several hundred customers in the First Quarter of 2003. Full product roll out will begin in the Second Quarter and will be offered through the StarBand network of more than 2,300 Direct Dealers located throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about StarBand and the StarBand 480 Pro, please visit: www.StarBand.com StarBand Network: Customers and Service in all 50 States, Puerto Rico & the U.S.Virgin Islands Read the full Press Release here Some key points to pay attention are the statement about it having uploads "two to three times faster than current Starband service".  This would mean that since we are currently seeing 20 to 40kbps up, then you might see 60 to 120kbps up.  While I'm generally optimistic, Starband's track record with regards to upload speeds has done nothing but plummet since the original consumer service began, thus it will take cold hard proof on a loaded cluster to get me to believe that the speeds will remain at or near 120kbps up. As for the acceleration software located in the unit, this is definitely a major step in the right direction for Starband and opens up a whole new world for those who have Mac or Linux units, along with opening up a wider market share for Starband because of the platform independence. Only time will provide the end results, however, I am overjoyed for those on platforms other than windows.  I will try and obtain some pictures of the unit close up as soon as possible •