Inmarsat and Solaris win EU spectrum rights
ByReuters
BRUSSELS, May 14 (Reuters) - Satellite firms Inmarsat Ventures and Solaris Mobile won rights from the European Commission on Thursday to a radio spectrum band that could be used to provide mobile services and high-speed Internet access across Europe.
Solaris, a joint venture between Luxembourg-based SES Astra and France's Eutelsat, and UK satellite operator Inmarsat have been awarded the rights for 18 years, the European Union executive said in a statement.
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"Mobile satellite services have huge potential: they can enable Europeans to access new communication services, particularly in rural and less populated regions," EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said in the statement.
"A Europe-wide market for mobile satellite services is now becoming a reality," she added.
Mobile satellite services (MSS) could offer wireless communications to millions of European consumers and businesses across Europe through portable terminals carried by a person or mounted on a car or a ship.
They can also help bridge the digital divide in the availability of high-speed Internet coverage in Europe by reaching rural and less populated regions, the Commission said.
Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Dale Hudson
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