Saturday, 25 April 2009
Monday, 29 December 2008
Solaris Mobile Is Confirmed By EC As ‘Admissible Candidate’ For The Provision Of Mobile Satellite Services
Solaris Mobile has on, December 19th 2008, been confirmed by the European Commission as an ‘admissible candidate’ for the two-stage application process for the provision of mobile satellite services across Europe.
Solaris Mobile was one of four companies to submit an application to the European Commission in October for the rollout of S-Band Spectrum mobile satellite services, under a single European selection procedure instead of under 27 different national systems. Its confirmation as an admissible candidate underlines the strength of the company’s application.
With a state of the art satellite due to be launched next Spring, Solaris Mobile is the only candidate operator that will meet European Commission expectations that cross border Mobile TV services are likely to start in 2009. The company will be in the unique position of being able to offer mobile satellite services that empower existing and next generation mobile hybrid networks and enable the provision of innovative services to consumers across Europe.
Solaris Mobile is actively establishing together with key industrial partners and media players a harmonised ecosystem to optimize the delivery of mobile TV services, and broadband. The company has also announced that it welcomes the recently published European Commission Guidelines for the provision of mobile TV services in EU countries.
“We look forward to the publication of similar guidelines for mobile satellite services,” says Solaris Mobile Chief Executive Officer Steve Maine. “We would especially support the commitment of the European Commission to award procedure guidelines that are public, transparent and defined in advance, as well as the aspiration that full interoperability and EU-wide mobile TV roaming will be important considerations for mobile TV service providers. The European Commission has also recognised that speed in service delivery will be key for global competitiveness, and therefore we are also in favour of the recommendation that frequencies made available for Mobile TV should be withdrawn if the service has not started within a reasonable time. With a focus on clear guidelines and light regulation, the European Commission is clearly supportive of the rapid roll out of mobile TV across Europe, and this is good news for companies such as Solaris Mobile. ”
FACT FILE
Solaris Mobile, a Eutelsat and SES Astra joint venture, was established earlier this year to develop next generation mobile TV services via satellite. Its corporate headquarters in Dublin officially opened in June 2008. The company plans to provide TV, video and radio plus two-way communication to a variety of handheld and vehicle-mounted mobile devices. Solaris Mobile’s range of services, scheduled for launch in early 2009, is aimed primarily at Broadcasters, Telco operators, the Automotive industry, and Data & Communication providers.
The company intends to operate in a 2.00 GHz frequency band, the S-band, reserved for the exclusive use of satellite and terrestrial mobile services. The S-band sits alongside UMTS frequencies that are already used across Europe for 3G terrestrial services.
Please visit http://www.solarismobile.com/
Daniela Genta
Since the submission of its application, Solaris Mobile has been strengthening its management team, most notably with the appointment of Daniela Genta as Director of Regulatory Affairs. Daniela has over ten years experience in the satellite, telecommunications and space industry.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Message in a lunchbox sings to the public
This week, musical duo Georgia Wonder purposefully mislaid 40 numbered copies of their latest CD ‘Hello Stranger’ across the country to begin a journey on what could be called a nationwide ‘pass the parcel’.
Part promotion, part real-world viral experiment, the Georgia Wonder ‘Hello Stranger’ campaign is a fun way of seeing just how far each CD will travel across the nation.
Members of the public who find these CDs have been encouraged to visit the band’s website and Facebook page where they can leave a message saying which CD they found, where they found it and where they intend on leaving it next. There is also a humorous video explaining the campaign on YouTube.
Like something straight out of Lewis Carol’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’, each heavy duty CD ‘lunch-box’ container is clearly labelled ‘Hello Stranger, I am on a journey, please pick me up!’. The idea is that anyone finding one of these lunch-boxes in public can check out the music inside before leaving it in a different place for someone else to discover.
Within the first week CDs have been spotted at a Premier Inn at Old Trafford, The ICA in London, Bentalls in Kingston Upon Thames, the terrace at Celtic Park FC and a number seven bus in Brighton.
If opinion is anything to go by the CDs may not get quite as far as planned - influential music site Pop Justice has commented on the campaign ‘..the chances of it all taking off and becoming a proper social phenomenon are incredibly slim, mainly because the music on the CD is so good that you don't really want to give it away.’
About Georgia Wonder
Georgia Wonder are Stephanie Grant (vocals) and Julian Moore (music)
‘A darker Dido with the voice of an angel’
The lead track from Georgia Wonder's debut EP ‘Hello Stranger’ has already claimed Song Of The Day (6th August) on the Pop Justice website, and Record Of The Week (4th September) from the Record Of The Day website. Pop Justice called it 'One Grey's Anatomy soundtrack appearance away from being an international hit single'. Record Of The Day, the UK's music industry tip sheet said of it 'A simple, restrained, haunting ballad which sounds classic but not dated - the video is stunning too.'