In the past we’ve often been among them. But after an exclusive interview we conducted with Avanti Communications’ Simon Barrett, at least some of our worries have been assuaged. According to the company’s head of European marketing, for now at least the hefty £400-odd set-up fees that have dramatically bumped up the price of satellite broadband will remain. But as customer volume increases, it seems we can expect a gradual decrease.

To back up his claim he cited the example of US satellite broadband provider Wild Blue, which now has a million customers and has been able to reduce installation costs significantly.

We’re not sure how many customers are needed to bring down the fees charged to UK satellite consumers in line with those levied for installation of ADSL fibre optic broadband. But there is at least one factor in Avanti’s favour. And that’s the fact that unlike most broadband providers it can target people all over Europe.

Moreover, with 830.4 million potential customers on the Continent, it can offer its service to more than double those who can sign up with Wild Blue. So it’s not unfeasible that Avanti could start to bring down costs a lot sooner than you might expect.