The significance of this project to the market will be to enable provision of broadband multimedia services and Internet access to the whole European region and wider regions of the world, including the less favoured regions, at proportional and competitive prices. Satellites are expected to provide an essential role in bridging the “digital divide”: satellite networks are likely to be the only way to provide broadband services to regions that cannot be economically reached by the terrestrial networks, in particular the more remote regions of Europe and the rest of the world.

A major goal is that broadband services will be independent of urban or rural location, and offer user migration between different satellite networks, and between satellite and terrestrial networks. In accordance with the objectives of eEurope 2005, the ultimate goal of this work is to provide access to broadband and associated e-services to everyone, everywhere via a combination of private and public internet access points with a focus on the less favoured and remote regions. It is widely accepted that access to broadband communications is a key factor in economic and social development. By promoting and supporting the use of satellite networks to provide access to broadband services, this proposal aims at enabling everyone to participate actively in the information society, overcoming the divides that are set by location, nature or society.

This STF project will form an important part of the ETSI TC-SES development of IP interworking standards for satellite services. The overall objectives aim to ensure that satellite access networks interwork efficiently with terrestrial networks and provide IP network services that are complementary to and compatible with, terrestrial broadband media, especially wire-line media. Satellite networks will complement terrestrial networks by providing service coverage to the proportion of the population not economically covered by wire-line solutions, and will also give cost and service benefits through broadcast and multicast capability.

It is important that satellite networks are able to offer IP network services that remain comparable to those provided by terrestrial networks, in particular with regard to network security and quality of service. Similarly, broadband satellite networks need to provide a standard path for the transition to IPv6. These objectives can only be achieved if the development of satellite standards can keep pace with the rapid evolution of the terrestrial IP network standards. The existence of a set of relevant open standards will itself enable service providers to identify and support common service platforms, and manufacturers to design competitive solutions.

We intend to complete our work by end December 2006.

If you would like more information, please contact the STF Leader on: euroashworths@aol.com

Last updated: 2010-02-18 10:21:47