Television via satellite - The options available

The use of satellites to provide TV programming to European nations is examined critically, using technological and economic criteria based on past experience and ongoing developmental research at Eutelsat. Approaches based on current low-power FSS, WARC-BS-77-type high-power DBS, or low-power advanced-DBS satellites (such as Anik-B and Anik-C) are characterized and compared. It is found that current FSS and WARC-BS-77 DBS systems are not likely to be economically feasible means of providing the service European TV viewers are willing to pay for (by acquiring receivers and/or subscribing to CATV services), whereas advanced DBS, if approved by regulatory bodies and carefully coordinated, provides a viable alternative. Diagrams, maps, and tables of numerical data are included.