Digital Dividend Overcoming obstacles

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Digital DividendOvercoming obstacles

• Eric Fournier
• Director Spectrum Planning and International
  Affairs
• Agence Nationale des Fréquences
• fournier_at_anfr.fr

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Three inter-related objectives

• Digital Dividend is a result of the analogue
  switch-off and digital switch-over.
• All three processes have to be seen in
  conjunction
• Example of France Law of 5th March 2007
• Extension of digital TV
• Coverage of 95 of the population
• Additional multiplex (HDTV, mobile TV, bonus
  channels) from the 5 used for introduction of DTV
• Analogue switch-off
• Switch off before 30 November 2011
• Final plan to be decided by the Prime Minister
• Detailed plan for progressive switch off (area
  per area) should be published by the broadcasting
  authority (CSA) 9 month before its realization
• Digital dividend
• National scheme for the reutilization of
  frequencies made free by the analogue switch off
  to be decided by the Prime minister after
  consultation of an ad-hoc parliamentary
  commission on the digital dividend
• The majority of the digital dividend is to be
  attributed to broadcasting

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Analogue switch off and digital switch-over

• For countries like France where fixed reception
  remains the main TV reception mode, simulcast was
  necessary
• In a transition phase, it is necessary to ensure
  compatibility between
• digital (inc. new services)
• and analogue TV
• The final plan is the situation after the end of
  analogue
• It has to account for broadcasting and mobile
  dividend
• It is progressively defined and achieved region
  by region
• During transition and at switch-over, it is
  necessary to coordinate with the neighbours

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Three inter-related objectives
Cambios de frecuencias
Refarming of analogue
Digital Dividend for broadcasting
Digital dividend for mobile
Arrêt de lanalogique
Extension of DTV
Transition plan
Final plan
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Current transition multiplex arrangement in
France 18 free 10 pay TV 5 HDTV
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Current TV reception modes
TV Access (considering only primary TV set) of households in 2008 Evolution over a year
DTT 30.1 14.3 points
Digital satellite 14.1 2.5 points
ADSL TV 10.5 5.1 points
Digital Cable (pay-TV) 5.5 0.8 point
Exclusively analogue terrestrial access 28.5 -16.9 points
Analogue cable (free and pay TV) 8.5 -0.7 point
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Plan France-Numérique 2012

• Plan published by the government in October 2008.
  
• Prime Minister decisions published 23rd December
  2008.
• Switch-over
• First experience of switch-over in 2009
  Coulommiers, Kaysersberg, Cherbourg
• General process for switch over (information,
  assistance )
• Starting simultaneously from East (Alsace,
  Lorraine, Champagne, Franche-Comté) and West
  (Basse-Normandie, Pays de la Loire, Bretagne )
• Digital dividend
• 790-862 MHz allocated to mobile service from 30
  November 2011 (830-862 previously used by
  Defence)
• Objective of 11 multiplex for DTV and 2 multiplex
  for mobile TV in the band 470-790 MHz
• Negociation mandate to the ANFR for addressing
  the issue with neighbouring countries

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What could we learn from our experience ?

• It is possible to densify the use of the UHF band
  
• For analogue/digital simulcast
• For increasing broadcast services (mobile TV,
  HDTV, more programmes)
• For digital dividend
• Two critical elements
• Timing
• Cross-border coordination

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Authorization process

• The last part of the UMTS core band (3 blocs of
  2x5 MHz) will be allocated soon (beauty contest
  starting next month)
• Current public consultation covering both
  authorization process for
• 2500-2690 MHz
• 790-862 MHz
• Auction envisaged
• Refarming necessary for both bands
• Defence Point to Point links at 2.6 GHz (gt700
  links)
• New programme for tactical defence communication
  system initially planned in the band 830-862 MHz

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Cross-border coordination

• Negotiation for the transition plan
  quasi-finalized with French neighbours
• Three objectives for the final Plan
• Reconstituting broadcasting networks below 790
  MHz
• Adding new multiplex (today situation is 6/7 DTV
  multiplex 5 analogue in simulcast)
• But also protecting the sub-band 790-862 MHz (in
  particular 832-862 MHz)
• General principle is equitable access of
  spectrum, independently from the services
• Each neighbour has different objectives (use of
  the sub-band, broadcasting usage, timing)

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Interference risk at the border
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CEPT Harmonisation

• After WRC-07, CEPT has confirmed that the band
  790-862 MHz was THE sub-band
• For economies of scale, it is essential to agree
  on technical conditions applicable to this
  frequency band
• Channelling arrangement
• Block edge mask
• ECC Decisions in 2009 would trigger the
  development of equipment for availability in 2012
• Widespread use of the sub-band in the long term
  would be beneficial to all CEPT countries

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Channelling arrangement

• Harmonised channelling arrangement will be
• FDD 2 x 30MHz
• Duplex gap of 11 MHz
• Block size in multiples of 5 MHz
• Reverse duplex direction.
• Guard band of 1 MHz with broadcasting

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BEM technical conditions

• Technical conditions necessary for
• Coexistence between different operators
• Coexistence with broadcasting below 790 MHz
• Coexistence with systems which will be used in
  the centre gap (e.g. radiomicrophones)
• Consisting in block edge mask and eirp
  limitations

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Protection of TV below 790 MHz

• Risk of local interference to TV reception around
  base stations
• The risk is dependent on TV receiver performance
• Adjacent channel protection (channel 60) and, in
  the immediate vicinity, possible overloading
  effect
• Measures to ensure compatibility (additional
  filtering, antenna pointing ) can only be taken
  at local level
• Discussions in France
• Extent of responsibility for mobile operators
• Procedure to ensure that interference will be
  treated
• Technical guidance to assess risk of interference
  and to mitigate interference

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Coordination ARNS in Russia vs Mobile in other
countries

• Protection of ARNS from mobile service is on the
  basis of RR 9.21 procedure except for those
  countries which had mobile allocation before
  WRC-07
• Agreement is to be sought from ARNS countries
  which may be affected
• Lack of technical elements for determining the
  affected ARNS administrations
• Any objection is to be based on existing
  assignment
• Review at WRC-11 under agenda item 1.17
• From a technical standpoint, the most difficult
  issue is the protection of airborne ARNS
  receiver. However, existing assignments are very
  limited (only few MHz)
• However, from a regulatory standpoint both
   ARNS  administration and  mobile 
  administrations may block new assignments (ARNS
  or mobile) based on broadcasting rights (GE-06) !

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Coordination ARNS in Russia vs Mobile in other
countries (2)

• Status quo may be beneficial today for Russia but
  is not a long-term solution
• Russia should have the possibility to evolve ARNS
  usage and/or to plan for digital dividend
• Neighbouring countries should have the
  possibility to deploy mobile service instead of
  broadcast
• In the context of 1.17 a compromise solution has
  to be found

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THANKS !

• Any question ?