The Digital Dividend Opportunities and challenges for future Broadcasting Services

The Digital Dividend

Opportunities and challenges

for future Broadcasting Services

Daniel Sauvet-Goichon (TDF, France)DigiTAG ChairmanSarajevo, 30 March 2006

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What is DigiTAG ?

A non profit association formed in 1996, in the vicinity of the DVB project and the EBU, in Geneva

To promote and help Digital Terrestrial Television start in Europe

Created by 70 member organisations from 4 constituenciesBroadcasters (public, commercial, private)Manufacturers equipment and consumer productsNetwork and transmission operatorsBroadcast regulators and frequency spectrum administrations

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Overview of the presentation

I - Boarding to the future High Definition TV TV to mobiles

II - The European “Spectrum Dividend” question

III - So what?

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Part I

DTT: boarding to the future

Starting DTT opens doors to…

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HDTV (High definition TV)

Question 1How long will DTT remain SD?

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Wide screen flat displays are there!

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Blu - ray Disc and HD DVH are almost there!

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Consumers will soon become “HD producers”

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European consumers are made aware of HD

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DTT : boarding to the future

Question 1: How long will DTT remain standard quality (SD)?

Answer: DTT provides flexibility to start SD and move progressively towards HDTV First multiplexes may stay SD for some time New future multiplexes will provide HDTV possibilities

This may imply keeping some flexibility in your technical choices…

…such as (for example)…

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TNT network R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6

Not

Programs yet

allocated

Free TV, MPEG 2

Pay TV, MPEG 4

Fre

nch

exa

mp

leChoose right parameters:

MPEG2 or MPEG 4?

12Balance STB cost versus capacity

MPEG 4 SD + MPEG 2 SD

“Decoder”

MPEG 2 SD

“Adaptor”

DTT, Regulated

MPEG 4 SD + HD +MPEG 2 SD

“HD STB”MPEG 4 HD

MPEG 4 SD

Pay-TV

MPEG 2 SD

Free to air

Fre

nch

exa

mp

leChoose right parameters:

MPEG2 or MPEG 4?

STB = Set Top Box

13

Mobile TVDVB-H (Handheld devices)

Question 2Will mobile TV be an overwhelming success?

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Caption

Commercial launch

Pre commercial launch

Pilot project

Project study

Japon

ISDB-T,

Mobile Broadcasting Co (MBCO), S-DMB

USA

Qualcomm, Mediaflo,

Crown Castle

Singapour

MediaCorpTV, ISDB-T, 2004

Nokia, MediaCorp, DVB-H

Australie

DVB-H, Canal 29 Sydney,

China

Marco Polo DVB-H project

Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom/Nokia/CMC Magnetics, DVB-H,

South Korea

Korean broadcast networks, T-DMB

TU Media, SK Telecom, S-DMB


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Germany

BMCO, DVB-H, Berlin

Finland

Finish Mobile TV, Digita, DVB-H,

UK

NTL, DVB-H, Oxford

France

TDF, DVB-H, 2005

TowerCast, DVB-H, 2005

TPS Orange ByTel TDF, DVB-H

Switzerland

Swisscom, DVB-H, Berne. 2006

Légende

Commercial pre-launch

Pilot project

Project study


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Commercial pilot test in Finland during March –June 2005

500 test users of different ages

Coverage of the Helsinki Metropolitan area

Pilot users paid for the basic network access fee (4.90€)


Focus on the Finnish experiment

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0

10

20

30

40

50

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

TV

Radio

Mobile TV

Source: Finnish mobile TV research international

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Source: Finnish mobile TV research international

When traveling using public transportation

When at home

When at work

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63

27

22

18

13

10

10

10

7

7

5

4

4

2

1

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

News

Sports

Entertainment / series / comedy / reality tv

Current affairs programs

Short programs

Discussion programs

Music programs / videos

Finnish programs / programs without sub-titles

Weather forecast

Programs that can be listen to

Films

Children's programs / cartoons

Documentaries

Programs made for Mobile TV

Local news

On-demand content

What type of content?

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Interest

1

14

26

47

11

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Would buy itas soon as it is

available

I would buy itat the same

time ofacquiring anext newmobile

I would buy itwhen its usage

has becomemore common

I might acquirethe service atsome point in

future

I will neveracquire the

service

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DVB-H handbook available at www.digitag.org

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DTT : boarding to the future

Question 2: Will mobile TV be an overwhelming success

Answer: most probably YES

A word of caution: Mobile TV is a broadcasting service (one to many). It is not transmission of video content thru a personal mobile communication (one to one) which would be much more expensive

But have we got enough frequencies?

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Have we got enough frequencies for future uses?

…but there is more…

ITU Regional frequency planning conference RRC 04 – 06 has part of the answer…

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The European“Spectrum Dividend”

question°°°

Part II

A challenge for future broadcasting services

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“Using less spectrum in UHF/VHF bands, Broadcasting digitisation provides a “spectrum dividend” which represents a value in each Member State that could be used to meet economic, social and cultural objectives”

RSPG04-55

An EC objectiveGet a “Digital Dividend”

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“… Digitisation leaves an undecided but considerable amount of spectrum in the relevant bands for more services such as broadcasting or other telecommunications services…”

How much spectrum? For what purpose? Who will decide?

Will UHF bands IV&V remain Broadcasting only?

RSPG answer (2004): “The spectrum dividend”

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Digital Dividend The controversy actors

Broadcasters

Regulators

Mobile operators

Other…

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Digital DividendBroadcasters

We need whole bands IV and V!

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Will RRC06 leave unplanned / unused spectrum?

Will RRC06 fulfil mobile / handheld needs?

Digital DividendBroadcasters

Certainly not! RRC06 has the mandate to Plan the whole UHF range

Not satisfactorily! None of the planned service types corresponds

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Digital Dividend

Telcos

Get more frequency bands to develop by themselves

UK already indicated around 14 UHF channels may become available when the last analogue service is switched off

ITU WRC 2010 already has an agenda item “to consider allocations to the mobile service in band 806 – 862 MHz in Region 1, following the transition from analogue to digital TV”

Reallocation of UHF spectrum =Confrontation with Broadcasting Service

How can we avoid it?

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Regulators: New frequency management methods

Are we interested, prepared or waiting to buy or tradesome released UHF spectrum dividend?

This could become reality in some of our countries

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“Spectrum Framework Review, June 2005” Let market competition decide about spectrum use This is “Technological neutrality” = valuation + market tools

Most European Regulators are more cautious!

UK: an

extreme?

Regulators: New frequency management methods

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Digital Dividend

Other…

Plus a new paradigm:

Software radio and Cognitive radio can sense where to operate without causing interference

Large part of frequency spectrum is empty! Even in the Broadcasting UHF spectrum!

This may be true in parts of Northern America with a very light density of broadcasting transmitters, but I do not believe it applies in most of the European area!

They often say:

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Practical implementation in UHF

Digital Dividend

Other…

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Perhaps on a small scale

Already wireless microphones are in use in VHF / UHF

It has to be studied by Broadcasters, at least to be sure that their services are appropriately protected

Other…Could this happen in Europe?

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So what?

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So what?

Facts and certainties

The ITU RCC06 Plan will use the whole VHF UHF spectrum

Politicians (EC) will not give up the “Digital Spectrum Dividend” topic and profits

Cooperation between Telcos and Broadcasters is the best path towards multimedia to mobile devices. It avoids unnecessary confrontation

These imply…

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Conclusion:

Don’t miss the train!

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The Digital Dividend Opportunities and challenges for future Broadcasting Services