Solaris Mobile has teamed up with semiconductor company DiBcom to get European DVB-SH mobile TV and in-vehicle entertainment off the ground — literally.
Solaris Mobile, which operates the W2A satellite, is one of four operators that submitted an application to the European Commission for the rollout of satellite mobile TV over dedicated S-band spectrum. With a satellite already in orbit, Solaris Mobile can immediately offer mobile services that operate across hybrid networks.
By using additional terrestrial base stations, the system reaches into tunnels, urban landscapes and also indoor locations. It can operate on a one-to-one (unicast) and one-to-many (multicast) basis and can be easily integrated into handhelds, mobile and automotive TV screens or video players.
The Eutelsat W2A satellite carries Europe’s first S-band payload owned by Solaris Mobile. (S-band, the same band that XM/SIRIUS radio uses for direct broadcast radio in the U.S., is used in Europe and India for other TV and mobile services rather than direct broadcast radio.)
The service will offer Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) such as the broadcasting of video, radio and data to mobile devices and vehicle receivers as well as a range of interactive mobile services. Using the DVB-SH hybrid satellite and terrestrial standard, Solaris Mobile will provide mobile TV coverage across Europe.
DiBcom will be providing DVB-SH broadcast receiver solutions to receive multimedia content transmitted by satellite and terrestrial repeaters. DiBcom's multiband and multimode RF tuners support DVB-SH, DVB-H and DVB-T in S-band and UHF frequencies, which lines up with the European Commission’s strategy.
