Press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Astro  celebrating 30 years of business success.

Astro  will be celebrating 30 years of successful trading this weekend and will be marking the occasion with the launch of its new website and a number of staff promotions as it re-structures itself for an exciting future.

Kent, 6th December 2014

Founded by friends Steve Smith and Rob Trollope in 1984, who originally started out as Post Office Telecommunications apprentices over 40 years ago, Astro  has continued to provide communications, connectivity and networking services to some of the UK’s leading organisations. Delivering complex solutions ranging from safety systems on North Sea oil platforms to satellite overlay networks at holiday parks around the UK coast, Astro has earned a reputation for achieving the seemingly impossible through the use of technology. Steve and Rob are still active employees of the business to this day.

Developments in the industry have significantly changed the type of activities Astro has undertaken since the early days. Whilst the company now focuses predominantly on providing a high quality service wrap around more standard technical solutions, there are still opportunities from time to time to engage in the obscure or technically challenging. These include delivering robust, EFT POS supportable wireless connectivity to TGI Fridays in Bluewater or wireless connectivity on board Wightlink Ferries.

Astro has recently completed the build of its new ISP grade core network and Virtual Data Centre offering to deliver niche ISP services to customers who are not getting the quality of service or level of support they need from the larger suppliers in the market who look after their business critical needs.

Astro will be marking its birthday with the launch of its new website demonstrating its intention to remain fresh and current. Steve Smith, co –founder of the business is delighted with the development saying “it is not just important that we keep up to date with technology, we also need to keep our public facing image and content current in order to stay relevant and interesting. Our new website sends a clear message that while we may have been going since Band Aid was in the charts the first time around, we are every bit as in touch with the market, our customers and our employees and will remain so long into the future.”

The anniversary also brings with it some structural changes in the management team as Astro positions itself for the next phase of its growth and development. Steve Smith will take on the role of CTO and Adam Crocker-White will assume the position of Head of Delivery and Operations.

Commenting on the change in roles, Steve Hodges, Managing Director said: “while we are a relatively small company we now think and act with the underpinning processes and professional standards of a large business while maintaining the flexibility, agility and customer focus we have always had. Giving specific focus to key areas of the business as we realise our growth plans is key to maintaining that balance and the new positions that Steve and Adam take on will enable us to better achieve that.”

Astro has ambitious growth plans and exciting targets around customer satisfaction, employee engagement and partner accreditation for technical competency as well as an unerring focus on company culture.

“We would like to be a company our employees feel proud to work for, our suppliers privileged to partner with and for whom our customers have the highest regard. With 30 years under our belt and a clear plan and strategy of where we are going next, I firmly believe we can achieve all of these things and more” Hodges concluded.

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For further information, please contact:

Steve Smith, steve.smith@astro.co.uk or Steve Hodges steve.hodges@astro.co.uk on +44 (0)203 058 7770

About Astro

Astro has been delivering technical solutions to solve business challenges for nearly 30 years. Founded by two former employees of BT and Cable and Wireless, Astro has gone on to deliver some of the most technically challenging and complex solutions in the market.

Providing services ranging from physical cabling and wireless LAN’s to cloud-based video conferencing and SIP services, key clients include Bourne Leisure Limited, Impellam Group PLC, Capital FM Arena, TGI Friday’s and Wightlink Ferries.

Astro  is headquartered in Hawley Manor, Dartford with staff based all over the country and partner organisations across the globe.