SES & Eutelsat joint venture to open up S-band at 10E

[Analoguesat]

SES Global and Eutelsat Communications have announced a joint investment in the first European satellite infrastructure for broadcasting video, radio and data to mobile devices and vehicle receivers.

In view of the innovative nature of this market, SES and Eutelsat have agreed to join forces in a 50/50 joint venture company, which will operate and commercialise the S-band payload on W2A. The company will be set up by SES Astra and Eutelsat following approval from relevant regulatory agencies. The S-band space segment represents an investment of approximately 130 million euros.

The S-band (2.0 and 2.2 GHz), which represents a new frequency band for both SES and Eutelsat, provides a set of frequencies optimised for supporting a wireless distribution network for delivering video and other services to mobile devices, including phones, PDAs, laptops and vehicle receivers. Mobile video services represent a large and currently
undeveloped market in Europe, emerging today through existing terrestrial solutions.

The development of mobile video services through a satellite-based hybrid network will provide content providers and operators with alternative or complementary solutions to terrestrial-based networks and will bring the benefit of universal coverage that satellites can provide.

Eutelsat has commissioned the W2A satellite from Alcatel Alenia Space for launch on Sea Launch in the beginning of 2009. W2A will be operated at 10 degrees East, with a state-of-the art S-band payload which will be an essential building-block for a hybrid infrastructure over Europe, combining satellite and terrestrial networks, to provide both universal coverage and indoor penetration for mobile video services. The S-band payload has also been optimised for a broad range of business applications such as security surveillance and other commercial data services including two-way communications.

Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES Global, says: “This joint investment will allow for the development of new, innovative satellite delivered mobile broadcast services, thereby enabling satellite to compete with as well as to complement terrestrial infrastructure solutions in the mobile television and radio distribution chain. Satellite provides a unique and highly efficient coverage and the joint investment will therefore increase choice and convenience for consumers, content providers and service providers. Mobile applications form an important element of our strategic development plan, and by joining forces with Eutelsat, this infrastructure investment offers an attractive business opportunity in line with our internal investment hurdle rates.”

Giuliano Berretta, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat Communications, commented: “Digital content and the mobility afforded by new portable devices lie at the heart of the current dynamic in the communications landscape, bringing new revenue streams for electronics manufacturers, content and service providers, as well as new products for consumers. Through a resource, which is optimised in terms of bandwidth and universal coverage, satellite services using S-band frequencies can make a vital contribution to the overall success of the mobile broadcasting market while the design of the S-band payload is also fully suited for two-way communications. By adding this new payload to a platform using our traditional set of Ku-band and C-band frequencies it has also been possible to put in place an efficient and cost-effective solution for entering a new frequency band.”


SES

[Analoguesat]

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris : ETL), one of the world’s leading satellite operators, and Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that Eutelsat has confirmed the decision to embark an S-Band payload on the W2A satellite for which the construction contract was awarded earlier this year.

Alcatel welcomes this decision which is a major success for its strategy to promote Mobile TV in S band in Europe, and confirms its vision of the market and the attractiveness of its solution. Based on the Alcatel Alenia Space Spacebus 4000C4 platform, W2A’s missions also comprise up to 46 transponders in Ku-band and a C-band payload of 10 transponders. Designed with a lifetime of more than 15 years, W2A has a maximum launch mass of 5.7
tonnes and will deliver 11 kW of payload power. The state-of-the-art S-band payload at 2.2 GHz on W2A will allow the delivery, for the first time, of mobile multimedia broadcast services (Mobile TV, digital radio…) directly onto user terminals over France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain or the UK. It will therefore initiate the building of a hybrid infrastructure over Europe, combining satellite and terrestrial networks, providing both universal coverage and indoor penetration for Mobile TV services. W2A’s S-band payload will also enable other communications services for example, for security communications or crisis management.

Alcatel confirmed its support to Eutelsat and SES, who joined forces to deliver S-Band services, through its technology development programme, necessary for these innovative services. This solution uses an evolution of the DVB-H standard in the SBand. These developments are carried out by a number of industrial partners including chipset manufacturers and terminal vendors, and have been selected for the support of the French Agence de l’Innovation Industrielle.

The W2A satellite will be in orbit in the beginning of 2009. It is anticipated that the terrestrial deployment associated to this solution could start as early as end 2007.

[BGonaSTICK]

Hmm, not too sure about all this. Don't have a problem with the concept, but I'm certainly not a fan of mobile TV in its :quote: current format.

I must say that my brother's Creative Zen is surprisingly watchable, but it'll be interesting to see how the commercial broadcast model is going to pan out.

The frequencies are also a little too close to the existing WiFi allocation for my total comfort. I'm sure the radiated power of S band satellite transmissions won't cause a problem, but an integrated blanket terrestrial system might not be so forgiving. Cordless phones and microwave ovens provide enough competition already.

And if it means another span of transmitter masts all over our local countryside, there will be a real stink kicked up around here! >