Julian Clover looks at ambitious plans to bring US style digital satellite services to Europe 

For the past few years US motorists have been able to enjoy packages of digital satellite radio (DARS) delivered direct to their cars. XM Radio and Sirius are charging customers around $12 a month for a package of close to 200 channels. Closer to home, European interest is growing from three operators that are looking to combine digital audio with telemetry services that report back any faults direct to the manufacturer as well as informing the motorists of any roadblocks ahead. Worldspace, Ondas Media and Europa-Max are all looking to launch services in the next three years with Worldspace confident of being on the air this winter.

Plans for Worldspace to launch the first of its regional services in Italy, and possibly France, will have serious consequences for channels on the West Beam of the current Afristar 1 delivered service. Worldspace Europe’s general manager Benoit Chéreau says there is only room for the traditional subscription model, meaning that channels including Virgin Radio, WRN and Radio Caroline that currently lease their capacity will be dropped. Assuming Worldspace can put additional funding in place, and launch its FM3 satellite, further services might be launched into Spain, Germany and the UK by mid-2008.

Since arriving at Worldspace Chéreau has significantly changed the business model. Chéreau plans a package of between 50 and 60 channels per country, but unlike his rivals no video, neither is there room for many out of area language channels. “While a Turkish channel in Germany might make sense, a Portuguese channel for expats in France might not find sufficient demand,” he says.

Europa-Max has begun its filing for a satellite slot through the Luxembourg authorities and is hoping to raise enough finance to allow it to award its satellite contract by the end of 2007. All things being equal broadcasts could begin by early 2010 at the latest. Seven spotbeams would each target a major European market with between 25 and 30 audio channels and 20 to 30 video channels. The overlap between the beams would actually allow for the reception of between 50 and 90 audio channels at any one location.

All the would-be satellite radio operators are confident that the formula of commercial free music will work just as well in Europe with its public service heritage as has been the case in the US.

Ondas CEO, Celso Azevedo, said he was looking to carry services from the BBC and is looking to the likes of Disney and Cartoon Network to provide video that would keep children happy in the back seats.

Azevedo was critical of what he perceives as the over-use of terrestrial repeaters by the US DARS service XM Radio. He says that with US latitudes lower than Europe’s, fewer repeaters will be required in the European market. “XM is actually a terrestrial service and the satellite is the gap filler.” Ondas itself is planning between 100 and 200 repeaters based on elevation angles of between 72 and 75 degrees.

Capacity is available in the 1479.6 to 1492MHz region, but the UK regulator Ofcom is keen to develop the idea of spectrum auctions. The hope of all the DARS providers will also be to convince the motor manufacturers to build the receivers into the cars with a greater enthusiasm than has been shown for DAB n