At the recent EBU Digital Dividend Workshop, almost 50 participants from spectrum regulators, commercial broadcasters, broadcast network operators and manufacturers joined EBU Members in an open discussion about the implementation of the Digital Dividend. The three key topics were: sharing experiences on how to migrate from the 790-862 MHz band (the so-called '800 MHz band'), dealing with mobile phone interference and how to award licences for wireless broadband communication use of the 800 MHz band.
Inteference to broadcasting services
All stake holders agreed that unless specific mitigation techniques are applied, the harmonised minimum technical conditions for the use of the 800 MHz band by electronic communication services (EC Decision 2010/267/EU, CEPT Report 30) do not always provide the required level of protection for victim services. Regulators may leave mobile network operators to implement mitigation techniques on a case-by-case basis. This may result in measures that mitigate interference once it has been created, instead of preventing interference to occur from the start.
How to deal with complains from viewers is also a common concern. A solution currently under discussion in several countries is the creation of an entity which could act as a point of contact to which cases of interference or loss of DTT services can be reported, to ensure an effective resolution in a timely manner.
Cooperation of all stake holders essential
The European Commission is looking for the release of the band by 1 January 2013. However, this date appears to be challenging for most European countries. A more realistic deadline would be 2015. It seems unlikely that all Member States would be ready by 1 January 2013 to migrate broadcasting services and issue licences for mobile services in the 800 MHz band. In addition, the status of the digital switchover process differs from country to country. While ten EU countries have completed the analogue switch off, 17 EU countries are still running analogue TV.
The workshop experience was extremely positive with well balanced discussions and with different national experiences shared in an open and constructive manner. It not only showed that close cooperation between all stake holders is necessary for a successful Digital Dividend implementation, but also that it is possible!