The 790-862 MHz sub-band will share its present allocation to broadcasting services with mobile services. This was decided last year at the November 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC). The EBU is now actively helping the ITU to provide good protective measures to prevent interference to broadcasting services in that band.
Some sharing starts before 2015
The new allocation will become effective only in 2015, except in a number of countries which have indicated their wish to implement the decision at an earlier date. This includes several European countries. The WRC07 therefore tasked the International Telecommunications Union - Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R) to carry-out sharing studies in order to protect the existing services to which this sub-band is allocated. This task has been given to a Joint Task Group between Study Group 5 (Mobile service) and Study Group 6 (Broadcasting service). The Groups is called 'JTG5/6'.
EBU views taken into account
The JTG 5/6 held its second meeting last week in Geneva. The EBU views on the scope of work have been taken into account, especially with regard to the need for consideration of all possible cases of interference, including co-channel and non-co-channel cases in national and international situations (cross-border). Furthermore, the technical contributions of the EBU on the protection requirements of the broadcasting services as well as the methodology for compatibility calculation were used as basis for the output documents of the group, on which the sharing studies will be carried-out.
First results next May
In the next meeting of the JTG5/6, scheduled for May 2009, it is expected the first study results can be considered and the methodology can be fixed. A set of system charecteristics to be considered in the sharing studies will be completed then as well. The EBU will continue to participate actively in the work of this joint task group with the aim to ensure the protection of the broadcasting services.
I you wish to learn more about this topic, please contact the EBU TECHNICAL Spectrum team via: [email protected]