DigiTAG

Web Letter

January 2006 | # 47

DigiTAG seeks to inform members and non-members about important developments in the digital terrestrial television market. Each month, DigiTAG distributes its web letter with news updates and further exploration of one topic. This month, we provide an overview of the Regional Radiocommunications Conference.

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Understanding the RRC 04/06 process

At the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), national administrations are preparing a frequency plan for an all-digital broadcast environment. The final plan is expected at the conclusion of the Regional Radiocommunications Conference (RRC-06) in June 2006.

As part of the plan's remit, national administrations from 118 countries from Europe, Africa and parts of Asia will try to agree on arrangements for sharing digital radio and television broadcasting services in the frequency bands III (174-230 MHz) and IV/V (470-862 MHz).

Leading up to the second session of the RRC, national administrations have been considering what their service requirements might be in an all-digital future. The first session of the RRC held in May 2004 successfully set out the planning parameters and criteria for the new plan. Since then, national administrations have been involved in intersessional activities both at the ITU level as well as at the regional level.

National administrations were asked to submit their initial service requirements by 28 February 2005. Based on the requirements submitted, the ITU published the results of the first planning exercise in July 2005. The results of the first planning exercise has given a certain indication of the initial country requirements and how feasible it will be to accommodate them.

On 31 October 2005, national administrations submitted their revised planning requirements. These new requirements are being used to create the first draft plan expected to be published in February 2006. Following further analysis and bi-lateral negotiations, as well as a five week meeting in Geneva, it is hoped that a final plan will be agreed at the conclusion of the RRC-06.

Current situation

Terrestrial broadcasting in Europe is currently regulated by the Stockholm plan of 1961. It has proven to be flexible enough to meet the diverse requirements of broadcasters for the past 45 years. While the Stockholm 61 plan provided assignments for 5,300 analogue transmitters in 38 countries, it has since been able to cope with the inclusion of over 80,000 analogue transmitters.

Updates to the plan have been made. A conference held in Geneva in 1984 covered the use of Band II while the Wiesbaden conference in 1995 and the Chester Agreement in 1997 allowed for the introduction of digital radio and television broadcasting respectively. The RRC-06 plan aims to serve as the replacement to the Stockholm 61 plan and its later updates. It will also replace the Geneva 1989 agreement between African countries.

Planning parameters

The service requirements submitted by national administrations will be used to formulate a new frequency plan. While requirements have traditionally been submitted as assignments (per transmission unit), national administrations can also submit their frequency requirements as allotments in order to enhance the flexibility of the plan.

In submitting an allotment, national administrations do not need to detail the number of transmitters in a given area but rather provide information on the type of network for a given area and its boundary. How coverage is provided within the area is then left for the country planners to determine at a later stage. National administration can select from four different reference network types depending on the topography and the given network.

For both assignments and allotments, national administrations will need to decide on the type of reception needed for a given service. Three reception cases are possible - so-called fixed roof-top antenna, portable outdoor and portable indoor. Because of the higher field strength necessary for portable indoor coverage compared with roof-top antenna reception, it may be more difficult to provide this type of coverage over large areas.

Because the remit of the RRC-06 plan had been established prior to the development of the DVB-H standard for mobile television services, the planning process does not allow for the direct inclusion of such services. However, because the DVB-H standard is based upon the DVB-T standard for digital television broadcasting, national administrations can set requirements with specific reception cases that would allow for the emergence of DVB-H services. Given the rapid pace of technological innovation, it is unlikely that the RRC-06 plan will have the same life span as the Stockholm 61 plan. However, it is hoped that it can incorporate enough flexibility to last well into the future.

At this stage, the requirements submitted by national administrations currently exceed the physical spectrum available, thus making negotiations between countries necessary. In the first planning exercise, national administrations requested 43,000 allocations in the UHF band although only about 26,000 allocations could be satisfied.

Analogue switch-off

Countries are at very different planning stages in digital switch-over; some have started analogue switch-off while others have not yet launched digital services. Given the geographical size of the planning area, not all countries will be ready to implement the new frequency plan or end their analogue terrestrial television services at the same time.

Two options have been proposed for when countries will stop protecting the analogue services of their neighbours. Under the first option, analogue protection could end no later than 2015. Alternatively, analogue protection could cease between 2028 and 2038. The selection of one of these two options will need to be decided at the RRC-06.

In the preparation for the RRC-06, the majority of European countries has indicated a preference for the first option. This is further re-enforced by the position of the European Commission calling on "Member-States to adopt a common position in the RRC negotiations to ensure that the end of the transition period, namely the end of general legal protection of analogue channels will take place at the earliest proposed date, as close as possible to 2012" (COM (2005) 461 final).

It may be possible that analogue switch-off take place regionally with some regions in the planning area choosing to implement the plan earlier than in others.

Spectrum dividend

Services delivered using digital technology make more efficient use of the spectrum than the equivalent services delivered using analogue technology. This implies that with analogue switch-off, a spectrum dividend could exist. The European Commission has calculated that 300 to 375 MHz of spectrum could become available after analogue switch-off should the digital platform only provide the same services as existed on the analogue platform (COM (2005) 461 final). However, based on the first planning exercise, the requirements of the national administrations are greater than the frequency channels available.

This suggest that countries have already taken into account the spectrum dividend in setting their requirements by providing new broadcast services and expanding the coverage area of existing DTT services. Only when the RRC-06 plan is finalised will it become clear how much spectrum has been released, if any at all.

Next steps

Many bi-lateral and multi-lateral negotiations have taken place during the intersessional period. Countries are negotiating how frequencies are used in an all-digital environment but also prior to analogue switch-off when analogue television channels will need to be protected. Planning will be especially difficult in border regions where frequencies must be shared between neighbouring countries. The expectations of the RRC-06 are high and the task of satisfactorily including all requirements into the final plan is proving complex for frequency planners, although not necessarily insurmountable.


Source: Natalie Mouyal, DigiTAG Project Office

About DigiTAG

DigiTAG aims to encourage and facilitate the implementation and introduction of digital terrestrial television services using the Digital Video Broadcasting Project's Standard (DVB-T). It has some 60 members from broadcasting, network operators, regulatory, and manufacturing organisations throughout Europe and beyond.

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DTT NEWS ROUND-UP

For all articles, please go to DigiTAG News

Spain - DTT surpasses industry expectations

The penetration of DTT services in Spain has surpassed industry forecasts. Already, 1 million homes have access to DTT services, two months following the re-launch of the DTT platform on 30 November 2005.

With 1 million DTT homes, the DTT platform has reached a penetration rate of 4.7% according to consultancy firm Corporacion Multimedia.

ASIMELEC, the Consumer Electronic Association, had forecasted in November that by the end of the 2005, 850,000 homes would have access to DTT.

Source: advanced-television.com

France: DTT exceeds its objectives in 2005

Nine months following the launch of DTT services, approximately 1.3 million households are equipped to receive the services. 300,000 set-top boxes were sold in December.

According to GfK, 1.1 million set-top boxes and 75,000 iDTVs have been sold. Further access is provided by sales of PC adapters as well as set-top boxes provided by the IPTV suppliers.

This momentum should continue in 2006 as DTT coverage is extended and the pay DTT platform is launched.

GfK is expecting 1.5 million additional set-top boxes to be sold in 2006.

Source: L'Expansion.com

United Kingdom - DTT STB sales up 25%

According to Broadcast Minister James Purnell, approximately 800,000 DTT receivers were sold in the weeks before Christmas 2005. This is a 25% increase with sales in the run-up to Christmas 2004.

In a House of Common's committee investigation into the Government's switchover plan, Purnell stated that the sales demonstrated that the digital switchover message was "starting to get out there".

Source: DTG website

Sweden - DTT subscribers grew by 42% in 2005

DTT service provider Boxer has announced that it has increased its subscriber base by 42% with the addition of 156,000 new users. As of 31 December 2005, Boxer had a total of 531,000 subscribers.

In September 2005, Sweden began the switch-off of its analogue terrestrial network. Further switch-off is expected in 2006 before completion in autumn 2007.

Source: Boxer press release

Greece - DTT pilot launched

As of 16 January, public broadcaster ERT has launched pilot DVB-T services. Services will be broadcast on 5 transmitters and will have an expected population coverage of 65% by March. These pilot services will be available free-to-air and will not include any advertisement.

ERT will offer three television programme services with specialised content. "PRISM +" addresses the disabled with six hours of broadcast each day. "CINE +" offers films, documentaries and youth programs while "SPORT +" provides sports music and news bulletins.

According to ERT Board Member Giorgos Chouliaras, an effort is underway to provide free set-top boxes to the disabled so that they can access PRISMA+, the first program in Europe especially designed for the disabled.

Source: ERT website

United States - DVB-H ready for commercial launch in 2006

Crown Castle Mobile Media has announced that it plans to deliver commercial DVB-H services to the top 30 markets across the United States. Services will be deployed in 2006 and 2007.

Viewers will be able to access popular news, sports, music and entertainment services on mobile devices including mobile telephones, laptops, portable media players and personal digital assistants. In addition, the service will also support podcasting.

In 2005, Crown Castle successfully trialled DVB-H services in Pittsburgh.

In addition, Crown Castle Mobile Media has announced that it has changed its name to Modeo.

Source: Modeo press release

United Kingdom - Strong interest in mobile television

Interim results from the DVB-H trial in Oxford have shown a high level of consumer interest in the services.

With access to 16 television programme services 24 hours per day, 83% of the users have indicated that they are satisfied with the services provided. In addition, 76% have indicated that they would take up the service within 12 months.

Results show that users access DVB-H services for an average of 23 minutes per session, with one or two sessions per day. Demand is high in the morning and in the early evening.

Users have indicated that they want made for mobile programming as well as some long-form content (e.g. movies). In addition, 70% of users would like to be able to access digital radio services.

Final results are expected in the spring of 2006.

Source: advanced-television.com