Reti Radiotelevisive Digitali (RRD) has selected Intelsat to support the first commercially available digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) mobile TV service in Europe.

In a Sept. 8 statement by Intelsat, the company will complement 3 Italia‘s WalkTV service, which launched in June and has attracted more than 140,000 clients.

Using the IS-905 satellite at the 335.5º East, 3 Italia will broadcast a multiplex of 12 TV channels to more than 450 UHF transmitters throughout Italy, where the terrestrially retransmitted signal beams directly to mobile phones.

Intelsat also announced its cooperative agreement with Telespazio and Hughes Network Systems Europe (Hughes Europe) to launch a new satellite broadband service platform for providing broadband IP connectivity, primarily serving Italian corporations with locations in Eastern Europe.

Each location will be equipped with a Hughes very small aperture terminal (VSAT) to access satellite broadband service with guaranteed levels of service. Intelsat is providing capacity on the IS-901 satellite located at 342º East; Telespazio is providing Internet backbone connectivity and managing operations from its teleport in Fucino, Italy; and Hughes is supplying the recently launched HN7000S product platform with DVB-S2 including a network operations center and broadband satellite routers plus related services.

End-user services will be marketed through Telespazio’s and Hughes Europe’s retail service-provider sales channels.