The Skybridge programme postponed in a year, but?

Alcatel Space Cannes will have to wait another year for the construction of the 80 satellites of the constellation. However, the first wideband services will be opened at the end of the year.

The Skybridge programme is postponed in a year, Pascale Sourisse, general manager of Skybridge and Alcatel Space, announced in an interview given to “La Lettre des Télécommunications” (Telecom Letter), owned by the group “Les Echos”. The launching into orbit of the 80 multimedia satellites will be postponed in 2003 for an activation in 2004.

What are the reasons for this delay? The financial investment search isn’t finished yet and the telecom sector is facing slowdowns nowadays. The establishment of Cannes Alcatel Space is particularly interested in this great project since a part of the satellite construction has to be done there.

However, Alcatel Space will launch its first wideband services at the end of the year. These services will prefigure the ones that the future constellation will offer and telecom operators will market them to companies. The recent contract signed with the start-up of Sophia, UDCast (see article UDCast puts the satellite into orbit on Internet brought it the technology necessary to combine the satellite and the Internet. In order to launch this new service in France for the first time worldwide, Skybridge will also use up-links provided by Alcatel in Toulouse and in Sophia Antipolis.