ONDAS Media: Helping to Set the Standards for Satellite Digital Radio in Europe

23 February 2007:  ONDAS Media, (ONDAS) the premier satellite media company for Europe has today confirmed that the European Technical Standards Institute (ETSI) has now approved and published the SES SDR standard for satellite digital radio services in Europe.   The standard, which has been developed by the ETSI Satellite Earth Stations & Systems – Satellite Digital Radio (SES-SDR) Workgroup and which includes organisations such as ONDAS Media, Delphi Electronics & Safety, Fraunhofer IIS and Kenwood Electronics, has been completed following an intensive, two year coordination.

“The completion and publication of the ETSI SES-SDR standard for satellite digital radio now provides the essential information that allows the design and manufacture of SDR radio receivers to a common standard that will be interoperable across Europe,” explains Celso Azevedo, CEO of ONDAS Media.  “Due to the challenges and time required to coordinate such a standard with all the parties involved, final approval of the standard represents a significant milestone towards the pan-European adoption of digital satellite radio.

“ONDAS Media, Delphi, and the Fraunhofer Institute have been playing an essential role in moving the ETSI approval process forward”, continues Azevedo.  “It also illustrates that the European community is rapidly moving ahead to enable the launch of SDR in Europe very soon, and that ONDAS Media is a key service and leader in driving to the launch of satellite radio for Europe.”

The ETSI SDR standard specifies the key elements of the SDR system, with the aim of achieving interoperable implementations for satellite digital radio across Europe.  Functionalities, technologies and most importantly, the radio interface of SDR broadcast receivers are comprehensively covered. 

In addition, the standard provides a summary of technologies that can be used to address functionalities in a manner compatible with reference architecture.  Specifically, the physical layer of the radio interface (air interface) is divided up into the outer physical layer, the inner physical layer with single carrier transmission, and the inner physical layer with multiple carrier transmission.  These parts can be used all together in SDR compliant equipment, or in conjunction with existing and future specifications.

“All the equipment we are installing in our OEM customers’ vehicles will comply with the standard,” confirms Azevedo.  “In the same way our air interface will also comply.  We anticipate this will facilitate the acceptance of ONDAS’ transmission on a country by country basis as the respective governments will know in advance that we are using a universally adopted standard.”

With its fully integrated, state-of-the-art digital satellite transmission network, ONDAS intends to broadcast its multi-lingual radio, music, video, data services directly to European consumers in their automobiles, trucks, homes, offices and to their mobile and portable devices.  It will provide digital entertainment to 240 million vehicles and up to 600 million European inhabitants on the move 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through more than 150 channels of proprietary and re-distributed music, sports, news, weather, traffic and special interest programming in all the key European languages.

“As a leader in the European satellite radio and media space, ONDAS has been heavily involved with the work to produce and finalise the ETSI SES-SDR standard for satellite digital radio,” comments Azevedo.  “This announcement underlines our continuing progress and commitment – in conjunction with partners such as Delphi, Fraunhofer, and Kenwood - to be the premier organisation to bring satellite radio and media to Europe for the first time.”

The SDR standard is available on the ETSI website at www.portal.etsi.org

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About ONDAS
ONDAS MEDIA S.A. (ONDAS), Europe’s premier satellite media company is a pan-European organisation that provides comprehensive digital services for consumers on the move, headquartered in Madrid. ONDAS focuses on delivering unparalleled breadth and depth of media content in superior digital quality to European consumers. With its fully integrated, state-of-the-art digital satellite transmission network, ONDAS intends to broadcast its multi-lingual radio, music, video and  data services directly to European consumers in their automobiles, trucks, homes, offices and to their mobile and portable devices.

In addition to securing further investment and supporting the necessary regulatory process throughout Europe, ONDAS Media is establishing strategic partnerships with European OEMs.  For further information visit www.ondasmedia.com

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