Solaris suffers S-band setback

Satellite-delivered mobile TV specialist Solaris Mobile has suffered a setback after an anomaly was discovered on the S-band payload of the Eutelsat W2A satellite launched on April 3.

Solaris, which is owned jointly by Eutelsat and SES Astra, said that further analysis was planned with the satellite’s prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space, to identify the cause of the problem and assess the S-band payload’s capacity to deliver services.
Solaris was set up to deliver hybrid DVB-SH mobile TV services in Europe, using satellite to fill the gaps between terrestrial transmitters. The company said it was evaluating a range of options to enable it to meet its commitments.