The EC has launched a framework to enable EU states to adopt “appropriate enforcement measures” if they feel Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile have missed their pan-European mobile satellite services obligations.
Both companies were awarded S-band…
The EC has launched a framework to enable EU states to adopt “appropriate enforcement measures” if they feel Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile have missed their pan-European mobile satellite services obligations.
Both companies were awarded S-band spectrum in 2009 with roll out commitments to deploy these services over the 2GHz spectrum range across Europe.
By May 2011, they had to be capable of covering around 60% of European aggregate landmass by satellite with the spectrum. The EC’s next S-band milestone is in 2016, when the operators have to cover 60% of the landmass and 50% of the population of each EU state.
However, regulatory tangles involved in attaining cross-border licences, against the backdrop of a worsening eurozone crisis, have prompted the EC to call for these deployments to be accelerated.
“We gave the two selected operators two years to deploy their systems,” explained Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, in a statement on 10 October.
“The time has now come for effective enforcement. Either operators deliver on their promises, or the spectrum which they have available, which is a scarce resource, should be used in other ways.” Spokespeople for Kroes were unable to comment on exactly what these measures could be.
A spokesman for UK-based Inmarsat declined to comment on the specific progress the company is making towards the deployment of pan-European mobile satellite services, but said it will be responding to the Commissioner’s concerns shortly.
“We remain active in taking every opportunity very seriously to make S-band services work,” he said.
Solaris Mobile, a joint venture between operators SES and Eutelsat, meanwhile expressed confidence that it has met all of the EC’s current obligations, despite W2A, its only satellite, being unable to launch full services because of an anomaly.
Ciara Farren, head of regulation at Solaris Mobile, told SatelliteFinance the group can currently deliver services “to 84% of the aggregate land mass of member states, which Solaris Mobile would maintain is operating in compliance with the authorisation common conditions”.
Back in September, Solaris unveiled plans to launch a pan-European digital radio service on S-band called EUR RADIO from the end of this year.
According to the venture, this free-to-air distribution service platform could eventually provide listeners from across the EU with a raft of public and private channels, catering for the majority of European languages.
The group’s first commercial contract for this service was secured with Italian media publishing firm Class Editori to deploy the network throughout Italy. It also holds a similar agreement with Dutch radio station Radio 100% NL in the Netherlands, and claims to be in discussions with a number of other groups of radio channel operators.
But, as previously reported, Solaris needs to launch a second S-Band payload to meet its 2016 milestone. The group is currently looking at raising fresh financing for this expansion.
Another challenge for Solaris has been its struggle to obtain the necessary MSS and complementary ground control (CGC) licences from each EU country.
To date, only eight out of the 27 member states have completed and published their legislative framework authorising both MSS and CGC.
However, Farren said that so far no EU state has flagged S-band deployment concerns about Solaris.
She welcomed the EC’s latest decision, saying it offers “transparency and provides authorised operators with the regulatory certainty required to continue to roll-out national services and deliver on all commitments made”.
