DiBcom, a fabless semiconductor company and specialist in mobile TV solutions, has announced that it has entered into a cooperation agreement with the satellite-based service Solaris Mobile which recently sucessfully launched its W2A satellite payload. Solaris Mobile will provide mobile television and in-vehicle entertainment, information and communication services across Europe. DiBcom supplies DVB-SH broadcast receiver solutions to enable mobile devices to have access to the multimedia content transmitted by satellite and terrestrial repeater.
Solaris Mobile is one of four operators that submitted an application to the European Commission last October for the rollout of mobile satellite services over dedicated S-Band spectrum. This took place under a single European selection procedure and on behalf of the 27 Member States of the EU. With a state-of-the-art satellite in orbit, Solaris Mobile is in the unique position of immediately being able to offer mobile services that utilise next generation mobile hybrid networks and enable the provision of innovative services to consumers across Europe.
The Eutelsat W2A satellite carries Europe's first S-Band payload owned by Solaris Mobile. It 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 television coverage across Europe.
DiBcom claims to be the first company in the world to manufacture and market DVB-SH receivers. This multi-band and multi-mode solution featuring dual RF tuners supports DVB-SH, DVB-H and DVB-T in S-Band and UHF frequencies which is ideal for the European Digital TV deployments and in continuity with the European Commission's strategy. DiBcom's involvement in this ground-breaking mobile satellite launch was both a logical and strategic choice. The Agreement between Solaris Mobile and DiBcom will provide an enabling force to the mobile television markets in Europe by providing distribution technology for mass market consumption in the most economic way. Live trials using DVB-SH are currently underway in France, Spain and Italy.
Commenting on the trail-blazing initiative, Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom said: "First, we congratulate Solaris Mobile on the successful launch of its satellite capacity. We are witnessing the dawn of a whole new era for Mobile TV services with truely universal continental coverage. There is no doubt that Solaris Mobile will leverage the industry-leading knowledge and experience of its founding companies towards a new set of mobile applications of real value to end users throughout Europe."
Steve Maine, President and CEO of Solaris Mobile added, "We are convinced that this is the most innovative opportunity in Europe's telecommunications and media marketplaces and are extremely pleased that DiBcom is a leading participant in one of our major strategic mobile satellite service initiatives. As a major player of the DVB-SH ecosystem their technology will enable the deployment of a fully-fledged TV experience on mobile devices, anytime, anywhere and enable us to begin a new chapter in satellite communications in Europe."