Following pressure from subscribers, and in the light of similar launches by its terrestrial and cable rivals, BSkyB is looking to introduce Internet access via satellite in the New Year.

It is understood to be unlikely that the service will be provided via the existing Sky Digiboxes held by current subscribers. In any case these are probably incapable of being upgraded to offer Internet access, but instead use MPEG cards plugged into users’ PCs – along the lines of the US-based DirecPC service offered by digital DTH operator DirecTV. This would maintain Internet access as an entirely separate interactive TV service from Open and possibly serve to protect it now that BSkyB has gained control.

A twin-output LNB for Sky Digital dishes is under development to allow simultaneous reception of TV and Internet from the single dish that falls within planning regulations for domestic systems. The PC cards will use the same NDS-owned Videoguard conditional access technology provided in the Digibox TV receiver.

The return path to be used for the Internet service is also still in question. Sky – which is to introduce an ADSL modem into its next-generation digital TV set-top boxes – could conceivably complement the broadband downlink with a broadband ADSL return-path in the same device, offering a fast Internet access service which its rivals would be hard pushed to match – although the combination might prove expensive. No doubt the fact that BT is BSkyB’s remaining partner in the Open platform will prove significant in this respect.

It is understood that BSkyB’s much delayed enhanced teletext service on Sky Digital is now all but ready to launch, but its inauguration has been held back to October 1 to allow the Sky.com-branded service to be launched simultaneously across three platforms – digital TV, the Internet and mobile telephony – in the autumn.