26 Saturday 08.09.2012 theibcdaily Switching on 4G services
Managing introduction of potentially disruptive technologies including LTE, TV white spaces and short range devices
By Richard Lindsay-Davies, director general, Digital TV Group
The completion of the UK digital switchover in just over a month’s time will mean that digital terrestrial television will be available to 98.5% UK households, but what many consumers don’t know is that turning off the analogue signal will also release valuable radio spectrum (the invisible electromagnetic waves that carry voice, video and data transmissions through the air) which can be used for introducing new technologies. The UK regulator, Ofcom, will auction part of this spectrum to mobile network operators to use for launching next generation 4G mobile services. With the auction due to take place in early 2013 4G mobile broadband will begin to be rolled out to at least 98% of people in villages, towns and cities across the UK from the middle of 2013.
The forthcoming introduction of 4G services has received a great deal of coverage due to the potential threat of interference with viewers’ DTT service. However, there is another major use of the spectrum leftover from the digital switchover that has had little mention so far but like 4G has to be managed carefully to ensure coexistence with DTT: TV white spaces. These are gaps that exist in bands that have been reserved for TV broadcasts and can be used for low power transmissions as wireless networks to enable rural broadband delivery or for ‘smart’ devices such as in-home appliances and energy monitors.
Richard Lindsay- Davies: The trial found that TV white spaces can be successfully used to help satisfy the demand for wireless
connectivity
broadcasters, manufacturers and silicon vendors, is currently looking at coexistence with DTT and is investigating the current sensitivity and selectivity requirements in the D-Book RF chapter to determine whether improvements in receiver performance can be made to improve the coexistence with TV. This will help both mobile operators and TV manufacturers understand the steps that could be taken.
Testing the waters It is imperative that the benefits of any future mobile network are balanced with the ongoing success of the DTT platform. With this in mind, DTG Testing, the DTG’s digital television test centre, has recently agreed with the UK Government to use the test centre to simulate the effects of 4G interference on digital television receivers. As with digital switchover, the
The European Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) is developing international standards for TV white spaces, and ETSI has also begun work on developing a standard
The Digital TV Group (DTG), the industry association for digital TV in the UK, has over a decade of experience of managing the deployment of new technologies. The Group is committed to using this expertise to assist with making both 4G white spaces DTT coexistence as efficient and effective as possible,
maximising the benefits of new services to consumers, while
protecting viewers and making sure that they have the information and support that they need.
The DTG publishes the D- Book, the technical specification for UK digital terrestrial television (Freeview and Freeview HD) containing chapters compiled by the industry via the DTG’s working groups. The DTG’s RF working group, which includes
results of these tests will be used to inform key decisions regarding the roll-out of 4G, alert manufacturers to potential issues with the RF tuner elements of their products – giving them opportunity to design and implement appropriate protection, and specify target protection values in future revisions of the D-Book. Although the roll-out of TV white space networks is not yet confirmed and if so will most probably be on a longer timescale than the rollout of 4G services, the DTG has begun exploring the efficiency and potential uses of this technology. The DTG is a member of the Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium which consists of organisations such as BT, Microsoft and O2 and who completed a trial earlier this year to assess the potential of TV white spaces to deliver cost-efficient broadband access to rural communities
and offload wireless data demand in cities. The DTG provided the consortium with advice and information about industry coordination, interoperability and coexistence with DTT. The trial found that TV white spaces can be successfully used to help satisfy the demand for wireless connectivity. The consortium members are now recommending that the UK regulator, Ofcom, completes its development of the enabling regulatory framework in a manner that protects licensees from harmful interference and encourages innovation and deployment. Ofcom is currently consulting industry on how to use TV white spaces and is also in the process of writing a voluntary national standard. It is aiming to finalise the regulatory approach by the end of 2012. Outside of the UK, The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) is developing international standards for TV white spaces, and ETSI has also begun work on developing a standard. The DTG is currently discussing the possibility of hosting a white space forum, consisting of key participants from the Cambridge trials and possibly acting as the interface between regulators and sector specific trials and will offer advice on ensuring interoperability between white space devices. With the introduction of new spectrum uses, the requirements for interoperability to protect and serve the consumer are just as important as ever. As technology inevitably develops further, the DTG will continue to bring the relevant organisations together to enable the delivery of digital technology to consumers. 5.A45