Solaris Mobile readies in-car entertainment for March 2009 launch

At Mobile World Congress, Solaris Mobile demonstrated its new DVB-SH in-vehicle entertainment system. The demonstration featured delivery of live TV, linear and on-demand content to a variety of devices such as video or radio channels, mobile phones, vehicles, iPods, portable DVD players, game consoles and handsets.

The demos were conducted in cars equipped with two embedded screens for the rear seats and one in the dashboard. Tooling around Barcelona, passengers enjoyed an uninterrupted selection of live premium TV channels such as Euronews and Eurosport.

Solaris Mobile aims to be the first in Europe to offer a network for mobile TV, in-car entertainment and information, and other services by operating in the S-band spectrum, located near the UMTS frequencies and exclusively reserved for mobile satellite services. The launch of the first S-band payload onboard the Eutelsat satellite W2A is scheduled for March 2009.Using the DVB-SH hybrid satellite/terrestrial standard with this payload, Solaris Mobile looks to provide seamless coverage across Europe.

By adding in terrestrial base stations, the system reaches into tunnels and indoor locations as well as across urban landscapes. It supports both unicasting and multicasting and can be integrated into handhelds, mobile and car TV screens or video players.