Looking to bridge the digital divide, the French Senate hopes to replicate
winning applications. Two telecommunications projects are being introduced at
the Salon des Maires at Porte de Versailles, Paris later this month.

The annual event is held for mayors, local government officials and
parliamentarians from every region of France. Each year 5000 – 6000 mayors attend.

The itinerary includes a series of demonstrations of European Space Agency (ESA)
Telecommunications projects focused on bridging the Digital Divide. For many
guests this will be their first opportunity to assess technologies developed in
other ESA member states. The French Senate — in a move to address the imbalance
that exists in terms of digital access — is hosting ESA Telecom’s demonstration.

The French Senate, in partnership with the ESA, is planning to hold a colloquium
on the subject of ‘Satellites and Bridging the Digital Divide’ in Paris on 22
January. The aim is to evaluate the potential role of space infrastructure for
the development of Europe’s regions.

Two ESA funded projects have been invited to demonstrate their potential for
France; both with proven contributions to bridging the Digital Divide. TeLeCare
from Canada is a telemedicine project allowing remote patient diagnosis and
monitoring via satellite. It allows nurses to videoconference with a patient
several hundred kilometres away.

The other project is the award winning ‘Espresso for Schools’; this UK-based
e-learning project broadcasts multimedia content to the nation’s students and
teachers. Currently reaching 1750 institutions, the service goes out to over
400,000 users.

Satellite technology is also the perfect solution for delivering video-rich
material because it is so much faster than terrestrial networks and can reach
remote areas where a terrestrial connection is not an option.

Both projects have been in operation in their home countries for some time
already. Le Salon des Maires will be a valuable opportunity for them to show how
France can benefit from them. The invitation-only event will be held on November
18 to 20 at the Parc des Expositions in Porte de Versailles, Paris.

Related articles

* British schools are using satellites
http://www.esa.int/esaSA/SEMLPK2A6BD_telecom_0.html

Related links

* ESA Telecom homepage
http://telecom.esa.int

* Espresso project page

http://telecom.estec.esa.nl/artes/artes3/fileincludes/projects/121espresso/espresso.cfm
* Espresso Broadband Ltd
http://www.espresso.co.uk

* TeLeCare project page
http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=10907

* Salon des maires
http://www.euro-convention.com/smcl/home.html

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/esaSA/SEMRNOWLDMD_telecom_1.html]
TeLeCare is a telemedicine project for remote patient diagnosis and monitoring
via satellite. It allows nurses to videoconference with a patient several
hundred kilometres away.

[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/esaSA/SEMRNOWLDMD_telecom_1.html#subhead1]
Espresso Broadband Ltd uses satellite technology to deliver video-rich
educational material to schools for use by both pupils and teachers across
England and Wales.

Credits: Espresso Broadband Ltd