[Satellite News 10-05-10] After the European Commission (EC) revealed its latest plans last week to deliver broadband to remote locations across Europe with little minimal inclusion of a satellite element, European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) Secretary General Aarti Holla Maini said that inconsistencies between satellite’s outlined role in the EC’s Broadband Communication and its Radio Spectrum Policy Program (RSPP) show a lack of homogenous understanding of satellite’s ability among different units of the commission.
    While the EC’s Broadband Communication took a more negative slant towards satellite, the RSPP was much more positive, providing research into satellite and some source for optimism for European satellite operators.
    Maini, who also spoke with Satellite News immediately following the plan’s release, said that the outcome now presents the ESOA with a challenge to convince some parts of the Commission that satellite-based broadband has valuable merits. “Clearly, some in the Commission have taken the time to engage with and understand the satellite sector. Others appear to have made up their minds independently. The two Communications pass very different messages.”
    Avanti Communications CEO David Williams agrees with Maini’s assessment. “Policy makers have not covered themselves in glory in addressing the digital divide. It is certain, as the U.K. government said in the Digital Britain report last year that mobile phones do not provide the answer to rural broadband problems, and the recent introduction of 0.5 GB download caps demonstrate why. Thankfully, the market is delivering, with several Ka-band satellites launching to serve Europe, two from Avanti, in the near future so consumers don’t need to worry.”
    The Broadband Communication issued by the EC paints a picture of satellite being on the broadband periphery and implies that satellite cannot reach the broadband speeds that the EC demands. “Next-generation terrestrial wireless services can offer transfer rates of over 30 Mbps and therefore meet the broadband coverage target. They are particularly important in regions with difficult terrain where wired access is impractical. Wireless connections via satellite could also play a role in these regions, but further technological development will be needed if satellite is to contribute to universal coverage at the target speed of 30 Mbps by 2020,” the Commission said.
    Maini wonders where the need is for the EC’s planned implementation of 30 Mbps universal broadband speeds “If you consider a rural community that has absolutely no connectivity and you offer those citizens the choice between good connectivity now and no connectivity for the next X years, they are unlikely to say that they prefer none of the options unless they are 30Mbps.”
    The EC plans continue ESOA’s long-term battle against age-old perceptions of satellite technology. Maini believes that European policy towards broadband should be more pragmatic. “We understand there is a divergence between the political recognition to use all technologies, which of course includes satellites for 100 percent coverage, and the technological view of some parts of the Commission, which appears to drive the wording used in the Broadband Communication. A technocratic approach increases the chances that the Commission will miss its own targets. ESOA has always been ready to help foster greater understanding of how to make best use of satellite.”
    But, the status quo is unlikely to change, even though the reality of the digital divide and the ability of satellite to respond to it has driven operators to make private investments and successfully run broadband businesses. “We believe this reality will remain for a good few years yet and satellite operators will not therefore walk away from this existing market. While nothing can be done to change the Broadband Communication, at least parts of the Commission have recognized our role, and are striving to help us help them to achieve the EC objective,” said Maini. “The EC is going to have a hard time to achieve its objectives and 2013 is just around the corner. The digital divide is a problem that has been around for decades and the goal posts for broadband for all have already been moved from 2010, set by the EU Recovery Plan to 2013, set by the Digital Agenda.”