Dish to test satellite-based mobile TV service using 700 MHz spectrum: Alcatel-Lucent to provide DVB-SH network kit

Dish Network Corp. isn’t wasting time as it considers what technology might be the best fit for spectrum it recently won in the 700 MHz auction. The company partnered with Alcatel-Lucent to test DVB-SH mobile TV broadcast technology with equipment, tools and training provided by infrastructure vendor.
Dish said the DVB-SH trial will take place in its lab in Atlanta beginning next month, and it hopes to validate the performance and cost-efficiency of the technology by August.
DVB-SH — a variant of the terrestrial DVB-H mobile TV standard — relies on satellite delivery, yet it’s largely unproven (only satellite radio can be pointed to as a similar commercially launched service) for mobile TV services.
Nonetheless, DVB-SH is getting a lot of attention.
ICO Global Communications, a Craig McCaw-backed company, partnered with Alcatel-Lucent on a DVB-SH trial earlier this month. Indeed, the company hedged a $500 million bet on the service with a commercial satellite that was launched into space earlier this month.
DVB-SH supporters point to spectral efficiency as one of the technology’s greatest characteristics. The technology can be used in any frequency below 3 GHz, including UHF, L-Band and S-Band, and in terrestrial, satellite or hybrid networks.
“As is our history, Dish Network continues to explore new, cutting-edge technology for consumer applications,” said Nolan Daines, senior VP of strategic initiatives for Dish. “Considering the global momentum of DVB-SH, we decided that performing a critical analysis of this new open standard was the right thing to do for Dish Network.”
In last month’s auction, Dish paid nearly $712 million and won 168 licenses for 6 megahertz of unpaired spectrum in channel 56 throughout most of the country except for major cities in California, Arizona and the Northeast, which Qualcomm Inc. picked up. Dish’s holdings cover 76% of the U.S. population.
Dish bid in the 700 MHz auction under the name Frontier. Frontier was linked to EchoStar. EchoStar and Dish Network split into two separately traded companies in January.
When Dish came out on top of the 700 MHz E-Block auction results, many analysts suggested the company might leverage its mobile capabilities through Sling Media Inc., which the company bought for $380 million last fall.
Dish Network wasn’t immediately available for comment and Sling Media declined to comment for this story.