Multicriteria evaluation of DVB-RCS satellite internet performance used for e-government and e-learning purposes

In this paper we report the findings of the ED 6^th Framework Programme Project “Rural Wings” concerning the selection, performance and evaluation of the satellite internet pilot sites, based on the case studies of ten such sites in Poland. First, we present the methodology of ex-ante assessment of specific needs concerning the intensity and the scope of use of the DVB-RCS bidirectional satellite internet technology in the mountain and rural areas that led to the selection of rural sites, where the bidirectional satellite terminals were installed. Then we review the operation of the pilot sites and their final performance evaluation. We compare the rankings resulting from the initial needs assessment with that one derived from the final evaluation and analyse the divergences. Finally, we propose a learning scheme resulting from ex-post evaluation of the initial ranking procedure, which allows to assess the adequacy of the multicriteria decision-making approach applied to derive the initial pilot sites´ ranking.