The FINANCIAL -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), Solaris Mobile and towerCast announced on November 26 the first satellite broadcast infrastructure to demonstrate the potential services of mobile TV, digital radio and data using digital video broadcasting satellite service to handhelds (DVB-SH) standard to be deployed in Paris and surrounding suburbs.

According to Alcatel-Lucent , this technology will help lower service provider CAPEX expenses to provide mobile TV services and give end-users wider service coverage with less gaps.

With the efficiency of DVB-SH in S-band, this four month trial offering a hybrid satellite/terrestrial system will benefit from the use of a satellite to attain coverage even for rural areas. In places where satellite reception is not possible, especially in indoor reception, service availability is secured by using terrestrial repeaters. This efficiency has been recently highlighted in a study presented at the Mobile TV Forum.

Alcatel-Lucent will provide the DVB-SH network integration and terrestrial repeaters that are installed on the four towerCast sites. Eutelsat will provide the channel multiplex platform to supply the terrestrial repeaters. The same channels will also be distributed directly by the W2A satellite to mobile devices. This is a truly hybrid network that delivers faster, more efficient and seamless mobile TV service, fully transparent to the customer.

Solaris Mobile has equipped vehicles using the industry players of the DVB-SH: the antennas are designed by the company Calearo, receptors are produced by the Quantum, and they incorporate a chip DVB-SH developed by the company Dibcom.

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