European Commission might license satellite spectrum for mobile TV

The European Commission (EU) might authorize new frequencies for satellite services that could be used for mobile television, says Mobile Today.

The EU will offer 18–year S-band licenses for two European-wide satellite ventures, instead of allocating licenses country-by-country, the article reports.  The Commission is slated to vote on the issue in May.

The licenses don’t have to be used for mobile TV, but that’s one of the potential applications.  Mobile Today says it’s “expected” that the licenses will be awarded to INMARSAT as well as to Solaris, which is a joint venture of SES Astra and Eutelsat.  These two European licensees could partner with other telecommunications operators to provide mobile TV in individual European countries.

Reconfiguring handsets for satellites

The article says S-band frequencies are similar to 3G, so handsets could be reconfigured to receive satellite-based mobile TV.  Phil Kendall, the service director for research firm Strategy Analytics, says cellular operators could offer different services “without doing very much to handsets.”

Perhaps I’m misinterpreting what Kendall meant, but enabling terrestrial–based cellular phones to receive satellite signals requires reworking the phone.  This includes, at a minimum, incorporating another radio chipset (or using a terrestrial + satellite chipset), changing the phone’s antenna and adding new software.

This doesn’t mean it couldn’t or shouldn’t be done.  But it’s not a matter of simply downloading new software to an existing 3G handset.

Also, receiving satellite signals indoors isn’t always an easy task.  Locating GPS signals indoors with a cellular phone sometimes is impossible.  To be fair, I’ve seen a significant increase in the ability of phones to lock onto GPS signal indoors, although it’s far from fail-proof.

Problematical mobile TV in Europe

Mobile TV in Europe has had a checkered past.  It has failed in the U.K., such as Virgin Mobile’s efforts with its horribly-named “Lobster” handset, which I discussed, although it has generated some success in Italy.