Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, has issued an urgent call to twenty one EU countries to rapidly introduce all the legislative measures necessary to allow the pan-EU deployment of mobile satellite services that could be used for high-speed internet, mobile television and radio or emergency communications to EU consumers and businesses. According to the timetable agreed by a Decision of the European Parliament and the EU's Council of Ministers in 2008, Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) should be deployed in all EU Member States by May 2011 at the latest (MEMO/09/237). But, more than twenty months after the Commission selected two operators to provide such pan-European services, 21 Member States have not yet adopted all the national rules needed to facilitate MSS deployment. Vice-President Kroes recently appealed also to the two operators concerned to step up their efforts.

See Press Release
Source: Europe's Information Society

Comreg gas published a document for a consultation considering the regulatory approach most appropriate to facilitate the development and deployment of a Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) with a Complementary Ground Component (CGC), following the ratification of European Commission (EC) Decisions1 and the completion of the EC selection process2. The MSS with CGC system is intended to operate in the same frequency bands which were allocated to the MSS in the 2 GHz frequency range. 

 

See the publication

Source: Comreg

A competition for providers of communication services via satellite across Europe has been launched today by the European Commission. Satellite operators will for the first time be able to offer services such as high speed data, mobile TV, disaster relief and remote medical services under a single European selection procedure instead of under 27 different national systems. This is made possible by a new EU decision on mobile satellite services that entered into force this July. Mobile satellite systems use radio spectrum to provide services between a mobile earth station and one or more stations either in space or on the ground at fixed locations. They have the capability to cover a large territory and reach areas where such services were economically unviable before. The new European selection procedure could allow companies to offer innovative wireless services throughout Europe over a specifically reserved spectrum as of 2009.

See Press Release
Source: EUROPA

Socorro Hernández, Ministra del Poder Popular para las Telecomunicaciones y la Informática, informó que el Satélite Simón Bolívar será lanzado al espacio en el mes de septiembre, luego de las Olimpiadas de Beijing 2008.

Destacó Hernández que el lanzamiento tendrá lugar en China, luego está bajo la responsabilidad de los venezolanos dirigir el satélite hasta sus coordenadas finales: “en China van a sacar al exterior el satélite, pasadas esas 16 horas todo lo que ocurra hasta tener el satélite en su sitio se va a hacer desde Bamari (donde se encuentra el telepuerto), nosotros tenemos que tener todo listo para el momento del lanzamiento, el tema del espectro lo va a estar manejando la CANTV, el centro de control del satélite lo va a manejar el Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Ciencia y Tecnología”.

See Press Release
Source: CONATEL - Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones

(PRENSA CONATEL /Leonardo Azarak) El Ministro del Poder Popular para las Telecomunicaciones y la Informática, Jesse Chacón se reunió con las delegaciones de Siria, Nigeria y Rusia, para compartir los adelantos del proyecto Satélite Simón Bolívar, dando cumplimiento a la agenda venezolana en la Conferencia Mundial de Radiocomunicaciones en Suiza.

Nabil Kisrawi, delegado de la comisión siria, con gran trayectoria en la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT), se mostró complacido con los avances en la construcción del satélite y comentó que la administración siria apoyará el proyecto y dará a conocer con otros países árabes los beneficios de la iniciativa venezolano – uruguaya. Full press release

Source: CONATEL, Venezuela

The European Commission today adopted a Communication to ensure that the European satellite radionavigation programmes (EGNOS and Galileo) continue, together with an amended Regulation on the funding of the programmes. The proposal provides for the deployment phase of Galileo to be funded entirely from the Community budget to ensure that the project continues.

See press release

Source : Europa

Today the Commission proposes a new mechanism for selecting systems providing Europe-wide mobile satellite services. If adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Telecom Ministers, it will give industry the necessary confidence to invest in EU-wide services, and will result in new services for citizens, even in previously uneconomic remote areas.

For the complete press release see:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/329&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Source : Europa

New Delhi, 24th July 2007 - TRAI has today released a consultation paper on Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS). HITS is a satellite based delivery platform for delivering multi channel television signals to cable operators across the country. It is capable of delivering TV signals in digital form with addressability feature. The HITS operator uplinks signals of TV channels of different broadcasters to his HITS satellite in the sky. The cable operators across the country then downlink these TV channels from this HITS satellite for further distribution to the subscribers through their cable network in digital form.

Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India

 

Russia will put three new communications satellites into orbit this year and another two next year, reports news service RIA Novosti. The Express-AM33 satellite is scheduled for launch in September with another two satellites, Express-AM44 and Express-MD1, expected to launch in December. Another two satellites, Express-AM4 and Express-MD2, will be sent into space next year, as part of a federal programme to launch 15 new communications satellites by 2015 to provide mobile communications for the president and government, and digital TV and radio broadcasts for the majority of remote regions in Russia and the CIS.

Source: Telegeography

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract to develop commercial IP multicast services over satellite to a consortium led by Inmarsat Global Limited that includes inter alia EMS Satcom, LogicaCMG, GateHouse A/S and Livewire Digital Ltd. (…)

 

IP-Multicast over satellite has many key markets including the maritime, military and broadcast sectors. Key applications include:

• Netted voice (push to talk net radio)
• Situational awareness provision
• Netted data services, supporting data-intensive collaborative tools, cash server updates, and software and database updates to remote devices.
• Weather & Chart updates (…)

Source: IT Backbones.

In A new approach to revisions to the Commission’s lists of eligible satellite services, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2006-55, 28 April 2006, the Commission announced that it would periodically issue public notices setting out revised lists that include references to all amendments that have been made since the previous public notice setting out the lists was issued.
In the present public notice, the Commission sets out references to all amendments made to the revised lists since 28 April 2006. These references are set out in Appendix I to this public notice. The lists of eligible services approved as of 31 December 2006 are set out in Appendix II.

Source: CRTC, Canada.

The telecom regulator has approved in principle the application of Shin Satellite to test WiMax wireless broadband Internet-access service to see if it will jam its Thaicom 5 satellite. ShinSat plans to share some of the satellite's 3.5GHz spectrum with a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access service.

The National Telecommuni-cations Commission will now examine whether ShinSat's concession allows the company to use its existing frequency to test WiMax. Recently the NTC decided that telecoms operating between 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz could apply to conduct WiMax tests ahead of offering the service commercially.

ShinSat, True Corp and TOT are the first in line to develop WiMax as they are already using the frequencies for their existing businesses. ShinSat occupies the 3.5GHz spectrum, True's pay-TV operator UBC True has 2.5GHz and TOT is at 2.4GHz. The frequencies were assigned to them by the now defunct frequency-allocation committee.

The NTC has put off allocating bandwidth for WiMax and other new services, such as 3G cellular, pending the establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The telecom law stipulates that the NTC and NBC jointly create a frequency table, manage frequency use and prescribe frequency-utilisation regulations.

The Central Administrative Court ruled last November to void the appointments of the seven NBC members, citing the unconstitutionality of the selection process. Major telecoms are waiting for the NTC to license 3G and WiMax so they can offer bandwidth-hungry services such as live video broadcasting in a bid to increase revenue per customer.

Thai Mobile, the cellular operator of TOT and CAT Telecom, was awarded 1900MHz, which can be deployed to offer 3G, by the frequency-allocation committee.

TOT, which is in the process of buying out CAT from their Thai Mobile joint venture, is rolling out its 3G network countrywide to lease to other cellular operators.

Source: The Nation, Thailand

El presidente Néstor Kirchner encabezará hoy un acto en Casa de Gobierno en el que se firmará el contrato para el diseño del primer satélite argentino de comunicaciones, que en total demandará una inversión de entre 150 y 200 millones de dólares, informaron fuentes gubernamentales.

Será el primer proyecto desarrollado por la empresa estatal AR-SAT (Soluciones Satelitales), creada por el gobierno nacional meses atrás, que contratará a la firma rionegrina Invap para el diseño y desarrollo del nuevo satélite.

El contrato será firmado por el presidente de AR-SAT, Rodolfo Gabrieli, y el gerente general de Invap, Héctor Otheguy. Se trata del convenio de la Fase I de desarrollo del satélite de comunicaciones, que implica la ingeniería básica del equipo espacial, que demandará una inversión de 11.700.000 pesos.

Luego seguirá la Fase II, de ingeniería de detalle, y finalmente la Fase III, de construcción, a desarrollarse íntegramente en la sede central de Invap en San Carlos de Bariloche. Con el lanzamiento y puesta en órbita incluidos, lo que aún no fue definido, el proyecto demandará una inversión cercana a los 200 millones de pesos.

Hasta ahora Invap construyó tres satélites de observación de la Tierra, para la Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CNAE), que fueron lanzados por la agencia espacial estadounidense NASA. Actualmente desarrolla los proyectos de otros dos satélites de observación, el SAOCOM y el SAC-D, que son hasta ahora los más grandes construidos en Bariloche.

Pero el que comenzará a diseñarse a partir de hoy será mayor aún y pesará alrededor de dos toneladas. A diferencia de los anteriores, que orbitaban a unos 700 kilómetros de la Tierra, este lo hará a 36.000 kilómetros de distancia, y no dará vueltas al planeta sino que será "geoestacionario". Esto significa que estará "fijo" en el espacio y será la Tierra la que de una vuelta en torno al aparato, cada 24 horas. Será operado por la empresa AR-SAT desde la Argentina, probablemente desde la Estación Terrena de Benavídez, desde donde hoy se comanda el satélite de observación Nahuel-Sat.

Source: Clarin, Argentina

ARCEP is asking players to express their views on the major changes underway on the market for fixed service via satellite. [...] ARCEP is using this consultation to collect the views of all players concerned, especially in the space sector, on the prospects for the development of fixed service via satellite applications.

This consultation aims to:

• evaluate demand from players concerning the needs and use of the spectrum for fixed service via satellite applications
• evaluate sharing conditions, if required, which take into account both frequency resources and player needs

On July 19, 2006, Argentina's Inspeccion General de Justicia authorised the inscription of ArSat, the national satellite company promoted by the Ministerio de Planificacion. The firm at present has eight employees and is drawing up its business plan on the second floor of the Post Office Tower (Palacio de Correos) in Buenos Aires, alongside the Communications Ministry. ArSat will start to operate an interim satellite on the empty orbital position 81 W as of next year, the position having been awarded to Argentina by the Union Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT), as pointed out by the new ArSat vice-president Pablo Tognetti. Equipment will be leased from a firm such as Intelsat, SES or Telesat. Within seven months or so, a decision on how to integrate Nahuelsat, currently operating the only orbiting Argentinian satellite, the Nahuel 1, into ArSat (Nahuelsat is in favour of such a move).

ArSat should be able to post a turnover of around US$70mil annually (US$100mil with Nahuelsat on board).

Source: El Cronista

Industry Canada today announced the launch of a licensing initiative to authorize the development of Canadian satellites. Given that up to 29 satellite licences may be assigned, this will be the largest spectrum licensing initiative ever undertaken in Canada. A comparative competitive licensing process will be used in which applicants will be required to submit proposals to Industry Canada.

"We need to increase satellite capacity over the next few years, and this announcement is about securing and allocating satellite orbital resources," said the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry. "This initiative will lead to new investments in Canada, and to new and more accessible telecommunications services for Canadians of all regions."

As a result of this initiative, Canadian commercial satellite operators are expected to provide the capacity needed to fully implement high-definition television in Canada and to carry other important new and advanced telecommunications services that are essential for connecting all regions of Canada, especially in the North, where satellites are the vital link to provide public safety, national security and government services.

Industry Canada expects that some satellites resulting from this initiative may be providing services as early as 2009-2010. The satellite industry will invest several hundred million dollars in building, launching and insuring satellites for each licence issued. Selected applicants are expected to direct 2 percent of their future operating revenues to fund special initiatives to improve access to telecommunications services in underserved communities.

In a new development for competitive satellite licensing in Canada, Industry Canada will be inviting comments from the Canadian satellite industry — particularly Canadian satellite users, i.e., those that would use the new satellites to deliver their value-added services — on plans from applicants for serving the Canadian market. Applicants will be selected based on the proposals that best benefit Canadians, and other criteria.

The licensing initiative will proceed shortly with the publication of a call for applications through a link on Industry Canada's Strategis website. Additional information is available on the website. A backgrounder is attached to this news release.

Source: Industry Canada.

The FCC wants satellite broadcasters to take a stab at drafting rules for the "reverse DBS band" -- spectrum at 17 GHz typically allocated for satellite uplinking but which now may be used for downlinking. Reverse use of the band, long eyed by industry and regulators, could open much spectrum for DBS use, we're told. The Commission last week adopted an NPRM seeking comment on licensing and service rules for U.S. satellite broadcasting service in the 17 and 24 GHz bands.

The item originally was set for the open FCC meeting June 21, but, having been decided on circulation instead, was pulled at the last minute from the meeting agenda. All Commissioners voted in favor. The 17 GHz NPRM follows a 2000 FCC decision allocating 400 MHz of DBS uplink spectrum at 17.3-17.7 GHz for satellite video broadcasting. DBS uplink spectrum doesn't see as much use as DBS downlink spectrum. That's why, since the 1990s, the FCC and ITU have contemplated using the DBS uplink band for downlinking, DBS industry officials said.

DirecTV is "pleased the Commission is moving ahead to open up more spectrum for DBS service," said Vp-Regulatory Affairs Stacy Fuller. EchoStar couldn't be reached by our deadline.

The NPRM seeks proposals on how to structure satellite broadcasting in the 17.3-17.1 and 24.75-25.25 GHz bands. Details include: (1) The best way to process satellite applications. (2) License terms, replacement satellites, access to the U.S. market from non-U.S. satellites and milestone requirements. (3) Public service obligations, geographic service and emergency alert system requirements. (4) Use of spectrum allocated internationally by receiving earth stations outside the U.S. (5) Orbital spacing and antenna performance standards. (6) Inter- and intra-service sharing. (7) Reverse band technical requirements.

The FCC is acting now on "reverse DBS band" issues because the ITU made the spectrum available effective April 1, 2007, DBS industry officials have said (SW June 12 p1). Applications to operate satellites in the band, dating to the 1990s, are pending from DirecTV, EchoStar, Pegasus and Intelsat, awaiting the FCC service and licensing rules contemplated in the rulemaking.

Source: Satellite Week, Warren Publishing, Inc.

Safaricom, Kenya's leading mobile operator, has reportedly erected a satellite earth station in Nairobi, according to the East African Standard newspaper. This would allow the operator to route its own international traffic, in addition to linking with base stations in remote locations by VSAT. Following the end of fixed-line incumbent Telkom Kenya's monopoly on 30 June 2004, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) issued a forthright new licensing framework on 8 September 2004, which was to allow cellular mobile operators (GSM) to construct and operate their own international gateways if they choose to do so. On 7 April 2006 the CCK issued a notice saying that it will issue the licences by mid-2006, and gave the statutory 60-day notice period within which interested parties could submit objections. Safaricom also uses the microwave transmission network of Telkom Kenya to route its own traffic into northern Kenya, but said that it will start using VSAT to connect base stations in Daadab, Maralal, Marsabit, El Wak and Lamu. It already uses VSAT to connect base stations beyond the reach of Telkom's network.

Source : Global Insight.

More Competition in the Tunisian Telecom Market:

The Tunisian government has recently awarded a ten-year renewable license to an international consortium to install and operate a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) telecommunications network in Tunisia.

The license award process is an important step towards the gradual introduction of competition in Tunisia following the award of a second GSM license in 2002. It furthers the liberalization agenda to which Tunisia has committed under the World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Basic Telecom Agreement.

The introduction of a new VSAT operator promises to help satisfy the pent –up demand for connection and help reach the national goal of 25% teledensity set in the tenth Development Plan. It will also provide additional telecom infrastructure to support a wider deployment of ICT services in the country. The consortium is expected to start marketing its services in the next few months in competition with the incumbent Tunisietelecom.

Boutheina Guermazi
G-REX Advisor
Adapted from allafrica.com