Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone Portugal demonstrate live broadcast Mobile TV based on DVB-SH for the first time in Portugal

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and Vodafone Portugal demonstrated, on october 31 for the first time in Portugal, the Unlimited Mobile TV solution based on DVB-SH technology.

This live broadcast Mobile TV demonstration, based on the DVB-SH standard, uses the S-Band frequency spectrum (2.17 –2.20 GHz). This spectrum is available throughout Europe and can be used for the EU-wide delivery of mobile satellite services, in particular Mobile TV. On February 14, 2007, the Commission issued a Decision on the harmonized use of this spectrum at the EU level.

This demonstration enabled representatives of the Portuguese Government and of the broadcast, telecom and media sectors to watch Euronews broadcast live on mobile phones, in various available EU languages, as well as RTP Mobile, SIC Channel and TVI Channel. The handsets used for the demonstration are DVB-SH-ready handsets provided by Sagem Mobiles.

The demonstration took place on the premises of the Parque das Nações in Lisbon, where the informal Summit of the EU Heads of State and Government took place on October 18 and 19, 2007.

This broadcast Mobile TV first in Portugal, based on the DVB-SH standard, constitutes a recognition of the role Portugal and the Portuguese Government are playing in order to stimulate mobile communications, in particular Mobile TV, in the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.

“We want to provide the best mobile services to our clients, while being a pioneer on demonstrating and launching new Mobile TV services. Vodafone Portugal is thereby expressing the importance, together with Alcatel-Lucent, of putting in place the first demonstration in Portugal of the Unlimited Mobile TV hybrid solution based on DVB-SH, which we see as one of the possible implementations of Mobile TV technology at the European level,” said António Carriço, Director of Innovation and Global Products of Vodafone Portugal. “As the Official Partner of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council for all fixed and mobile communications services, this demonstration confirms Vodafone’s leadership at the forefront of innovation for user-oriented services such as Mobile TV.”

“By enabling this broadcast Mobile TV demonstration in Portugal, Alcatel-Lucent wishes to highlight the importance of facilitating innovation and accelerating the development of attractive new services such as mobile TV to the EU consumers,” said Olivier Coste, Chairman of Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile broadcast activities. “Supporting harmonized regulatory frameworks and fostering innovative technologies will help Europe enhance its competitiveness in the world.”

On August 22, 2007, the Commission adopted a proposal to select systems for mobile satellite services at European level. If adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council, this new selection mechanism will allow innovative service, such as Mobile TV based on DVB-SH in the S-Band, to develop smoothly throughout Europe as of 2009.