The Lario Space Centre, operational since 1977, is located at the far North of Lake Como, at the town of Gera Lario. It covers a total area of 80,000 square metres, of which 5,000 are covered. The Centre has 40 transceiver and 20 receiver antennas, and employs around 50 people.

The Lario Space Centre supplies highly specialized services, providing users with continuous and qualified assistance guaranteed by the experience and know-how accrued in forty years of activity.

The first activities carried out in the Lario Centre were the Ku-band propagation experiments through the Italian satellite Sirio 1 and the creation of analogue telephony and television links with the Americas and the countries of the Middle and Far East via the Intelsat satellites.

The activities

From the main control room, the Lario Space Centre ensures the operational management of television connections by monitoring access to the space segment and managing, 24 hours a day all year round, the up-link systems, both fixed and mobile, for the television services of the major national (RAI, Mediaset, Sky Italia) and international broadcasters.

Telecommunications networks for corporate and institutional users are managed from Lario, as well as Customer Care/Help Desk services for infomobility connections (phone, fax and data) for mobile vehicles and boats, with European coverage, and navigation and messaging services, with global coverage.

The in orbit satellite control and space data acquisition sectors see the Lario Centre being used as an Earth station for second and third generation Meteosat satellites.

The characteristics

The orographic configuration of the area that hosts the Lario Space Centre, with mountains over two thousand metre high, ofers excellent protection against external RF interference, typical of open areas.

Lario therefore enjoys an excellent visibility to the geostationary orbit satellites located between 785° East (Indian area) and 5785° West (Atlantic area).

Terrestrial fibre optic cables and radio links allow the Lario Space Centre to have reliable connections with its customers and with other Telespazio locations.