EADS SPACE Brings the World Cup Live to the Royal Navy

• First broadcast of live "high quality" TV images to RN ships at sea
• Skynet 4 satellites used for all transmissions

In preparation for England's eagerly-awaited first game today in the FIFA World Cup, EADS Astrium and Paradigm Services have, at the request of the Royal Navy, increased the capacity of their TOMS (Television Over Military Satellite) service to ensure that those on board Royal Navy vessels within the coverage area of Skynet 4, can enjoy live high-quality coverage of the matches.

The combined capabilities of these two EADS SPACE companies enable the World Cup games to be transmitted from EADS Astrium's Portsmouth-based control centre over the Paradigm-owned and operated UK military Skynet 4 satellites.

The TOMS broadcast service, which is installed onboard all of the Royal Navy's SCOT-equipped ships, allows the broadcast of recreational television and news services, with programmes provided by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS). Typically TOMS operates at a "normal" image quality rate, but, following the UK Ministry of Defence's procurement of increased satellite bandwidth from Paradigm for the duration of the World Cup, the service has been upgraded to a "high" image quality, allowing normal TV-quality footage to be viewed.

One of the ships to benefit from this extra service is the Royal Navy's Flagship HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, currently on overseas operations in the Indian Ocean. As a user of the enhanced TOMS 'Media Backlink' service, HMS ILLUSTRIOUS can transmit live reports to television news rooms, including the BBC and Sky News, to cover stories such as its current efforts in the fight against piracy off the coast of Africa.