Save spectrum for broadcast

29 Mar 2010

Broadcast Australia’s Digital Dividend Green Paper response highlights potential risks to Australia’s ability to introduce emerging technologies such as 3D TV or to make digital radio nationally available if the 126 MHz “digital dividend” is allocated only to mobile telephony.

Following the release of stakeholder responses to the Australian Government’s Digital Dividend Green Paper, digital transmission specialist Broadcast Australia has highlighted the risk of locking free to air TV and digital radio into today’s technology rather than providing an evolutionary pathway that will enable the deployment of emerging technologies such as 3D TV or national, rather than just city based, deployment of digital radio.

The Broadcast Australia submission outlines how the Government’s desired digital dividend of 126MHz can be achieved, and provides spectrum on a national basis for:

• seven RF television multiplexes;
• twelve digital radio ensembles including regional radio;
• an additional 21MHz of spectrum to facilitate the transition to the next generation of services such as 3DTV and/or more efficient broadcasting technologies such as DVB-T2; and
• sufficient spectrum for 4G wireless broadband nationally.

This proposal has the added benefit of potentially yielding a second digital dividend of 21 MHz sometime in the future.

Broadcast Australia emphasises the importance of maintaining free-to-air terrestrial TV services during the spectrum restacking process and providing clarity to the Australian public as soon as possible in relation to its potential impact.

“We have taken a holistic view of current and emerging wireless communications technologies and looked at how all Australians can benefit from the use of the 700MHz spectrum band clearance,” said Stephen Farrugia, Broadcast Australia’s Technology Director.

“We believe it is vitally important that terrestrial free-to-air digital TV and radio services, which Australians rely on every day, are provided with a clear path to evolve in the future and are not locked into a technology cul-de-sac.”

“Our proposal places viewers, listeners and consumers of mobile and fixed wireless services first, while providing free-to-air TV and radio a genuine technology and services development pathway. It is an everyone wins solution for Australia,” Mr Farrugia said.

Broadcast Australia’s preferred spectrum restacking scenario allows for the six in-home DTV RF channels already earmarked by Government, plus a seventh channel that could be used for more in-home services (including, national broadcaster multi-channels, or niche broadcasting services) or broadcast mobile TV. It also allocates three contiguous 7MHz VHF channels for twelve digital radio DAB+ ensembles to allow expansion into regional areas, enabling coverage beyond the initial five capital city services.

Importantly, this scenario also provides an additional contiguous block of 21MHz to enable a dedicated transition path for free to air television broadcasters to future broadcast transmission services or technologies such as DVB-T2, achieved by relocating a 14MHz block of unassigned spectrum from the top-end of the 694-820MHz digital dividend band to the bottom-end. This, in conjunction with access to 7 MHz through the release of Channel 27, provides scope for a second digital dividend of 21MHz at a later date.

Broadcast Australia's Green Paper response can be downloaded below.

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