The European Commission has adopted a proposal to offer a Europe-wide license for mobile satellite services, so that companies keen to offer the services don’t have to get licenses in the 27 markets within Europe. This service is intended to offer telephony, television and internet via satellite, notes Reuters, adding: “If the European Parliament and the European Union’s council of telecoms ministers approve the plan next year, the EU executive hopes to choose satellite companies in 2009.”

The technology isn’t specified in the article, only that it will be “run on the 2 gigahertz band, using radio spectrum from 1,980 megahertz (MHz) to 2,010 MHz for earth-to-space communications and 2,170 MHz to 2,200 MHz for space-to-earth”, which is the S-Band spectrum DVB-SH uses. Alcatel is a supporter of this technology, and last month the EC approved a proposed JV between SES Astra of Luxemburg and Eutelsat of France to develop a “satellite infrastructure for mobile television and two-way communications services in S-band”. The two companies will add an S-band antenna to Eutelsat’s W2A satellite which is due to launch in 2009, reports SpaceRef.

• European Space Agency Backs S-Band DVB-H
• Alcatel Ropes In Samsung, Satellites For S-Band DVB-H
• European Satellite Operators Join To Maximize Delivery Of Mobile Services