ETSI Satellite Digital Radio

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Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) is an activity of the standardisation organisation ETSI.

It addresses broadcast systems where a satellite transmits directly to mobile and handheld receivers and is complemented by terrestrial transmitters. The transmitted content comprises audio broadcast, mobile TV, text and graphical information, as well as off-line content. The satellite component allows geographical coverage at low cost, whereas the terrestrial component improves reception quality in built up areas.

ETSI SDR standards allow to implement parts of such networks in an interoperable way. ETSI has so far standardised the physical layer of the air interface (radio interface). This allows to implement demodulators in integrated circuits. The physical layer is described by the following set of standards:

ETSI TS 102 550

"Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) Systems; Outer Physical Layer of the Radio Interface"

ETSI TS 102 551-1

"Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) Systems; Inner Physical Layer of the Radio Interface;
Part 1: Single Carrier Transmission"

ETSI TS 102 551-2

"Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) Systems; Inner Physical Layer of the Radio Interface;
Part 2: Multiple Carrier Transmission"

The functionality of the current version V2.1.1 and the previous version V1.1.1 is not compatible.

The following technical report contains guidelines for the use of these standards:

ETSI TR 102 604

Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) Systems; Guidelines for the use of the physical layer standards

The following technical report describes the facts and assumptions on which the SDR standards are based:

ETSI TR 102 525

"Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) service; Functionalities, architecture and technologies"

In this document the word "may" is used instead of "shall" due to formalities.

All ETSI specifications are open standards available at ETSI Publications Download Area (this will open ETSI document search engine; free registration is required to download PDF files).

WorldSpace will use ETSI SDR in its new network covering Europe from 2008. Also Ondas has announced to use ETSI SDR.

The DVB-SH specifications, which the DVB Project has created, target similar broadcast systems as ETSI SDR.

The name ESDR is more and more used for ETSI SDR.