Darko Ratkaj (EBU)
 | For almost 20 years Darko is active in the area of radio spectrum management both on the national and the European levels. In the EBU Technology & Development department his responsibilities include research in new media technologies and spectrum management with a particular focus on assisting the EBU Members and promoting the interests of public services broadcasting. Darko holds a masters degree in electrical engineering. |
Abstract
| Evolution of broadband infrastructures in Europe
Broadband is an essential infrastructure for the information society as it enables a wide range of services and applications. It facilitates economic growth and social inclusion. These are some of the reasons why broadband development is high on the political agenda of national governments and at the EU level.
Growing demand for broadband services leads to accelerated growth of traffic on broadband networks which in turn calls for an extensive upgrade of the underlying infrastructure. Building an advanced broadband infrastructure, commonly called Next Generation Networks (NGN), is currently debated by public authorities, telecom operators and service providers.
Broadcasters' future largely depends on the role they will play in the broadband environment and on the rules that will govern their access to it. Therefore, it is of the primary importance that broadband infrastructure can support broadcasters' current and future services. It is equally important that regulatory environment continue to ensure the unrestricted access to broadcasting content on broadband networks with the sufficient quality of service.
This presentation will provide an overview of the NGN technologies and identify some of the main regulatory issues. It will outline the relevant current and possible future developments. |