Solaris Mobile links Alcatel-Lucent for DVB-SH

Solaris Mobile, itself a joint-venture between Eutelsat and SES, has linked with Alcatel-Lucent and TowerCast to trial DVB-SH radio in and around Paris.

DVB-SH uses MSS frequencies in the 2GHz ‘S-band' for transmissions to cars and hand-held devices. The trial will be for 4 months, and aims to demonstrate how efficient DVB-SH is in the S-band.

Eutelsat is transmitting the radio multiplex from its play-out centre at Rambouillet, near Paris. Alcatel-Lucent is supplying the terrestrial repeaters on 4 of the TowerCast sites in the region. The same multiplex is transmitted directly by a giant Harris-supplied antenna which sits on the Eutelsat W2A craft.

Solaris has equipped a number of test-vehicles with receivers supplied by Quantum, complete with Dibcom-supplied chipsets. The antennas come from Calearo. The equipment is hybrid in that it picks up both satellite signals when out of immediate reception of the TowerCast transmissions.