DVB –SH gets boost from major players
February 11, 2008
From Colin Mann in Barcelona
Major players who are involving themselves in the so-called 'DVB-SH ecosystem', such as Alcatel-Lucent, DiBcom, Eutelsat Communications, Sagem Mobiles, SES Astra, TeamCast and UDcast are joining forces to deliver the first demonstration of live Mobile TV in S-Band based on DVB-SH. The initiative will take place at Barcelona's trade fair site during the Mobile World Congress.
The demonstration will use DVB-SH ready 'SAGEM myMobileTV' handsets from Sagem Mobiles, incorporating DiBcom’s DVB-SH receiver prototypes.
The S-band signal will be made available by Alcatel-Lucent throughout the exhibition grounds, via a terrestrial repeater network using technological elements from TeamCast (DVB-SH modulators) and UDcast (DVB-SH IP encapsulators). Broadcast transmission specialist Abertis will provide support for the installation of repeaters, cables and antennas and to access the content. Eutelsat Communications will provide the satellite capacity for the distribution to the DVB-SH terrestrial repeater network of various live Mobile TV channels including CNBC, La Sexta, Canal 300, Nickelodeon, 40 Latino, 24h TVE, Teledeporte, and Telecinco Sport.
In Europe, DVB-SH will use the S-Band, a frequency band at 2.2GHz available across many European countries, and Europe’s first S-Band space segment owned by a joint venture company of Eutelsat and SES Astra will be launched in the first quarter of 2009. The S-Band enables the use of the DVB-SH standard and is adjacent to the UMTS band, thus allowing reuse of existing cellular sites, towers and antennas. In the US, the first DVB-SH operation will also be based on a hybrid system at 2.2GHz with an S-Band satellite to be launched by ICO Global Communications in March 2008.