The objective of the ESA’s DDSO study was to assess the contribution that satellite technologies could bring into a global European federated programme to bridge the digital divide on a pan-European scale, including the 25 European Union countries, plus Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland and Vatican City.

In order to ameliorate the current status, widespread availability and usage of broadband and high-speed internet throughout the disadvantaged parts of the European Union, in an economically self-sustainable manner, urgently needs to be established. The need for rapid and economical wide-area deployment has motivated the initiative for a European satellite mission, the so-called “Digital Divide Space Element” (DDSE). Its major objective is, to provide the satellite contribution dedicated for broadband internet access as another suitable solution to enable every citizen of Europe to be a member of the e-Society.