Alarm bells are ringing among supporters of a campaign to retain frequencies for terrestrial broadcasting.
Ahead of this year’s World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23), which will decide an international approach to the future use of terrestrial TV frequencies, individual countries are preparing their position.
Many European countries, including the UK, have indicated they will support the status quo to remain, or least to defer to the next conference in 2027.
Decisions made at the conference will apply to all countries within ITU Region 1, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Therefore, campaigners are active across borders to try to achieve a consensus. As signals can cross boundaries and cause interference many miles away, countries have to harmonise frequency plans for terrestrial services. Harmonisation will dictate what the UK can do with its airwaves.
However last week, German authorities indicated they may do a U-turn on their previously indicated stance on protecting the frequencies for culture and broadcasting. According to the FAZ, the German delegation could agree to the use of the TV frequency band by security authorities.
Such a decision could complicate efforts to retain frequencies for free-to-air broadcasting in countries immediately bordering Germany, including France. That in turn could have a knock-on effect on UK Freeview frequency usage, as the UK needs to closely coordinate frequency usage with France regarding Freeview transmitters in London, the South and South East England. Frequencies available to transmitters in these areas in turn influences which frequencies Freeview transmitters can use in the Midlands.
The frequencies at stake are the sub-690 MHz spectrum currently relied on by millions of households in the UK and Europe for free and unmetered access to public service television and major commercial broadcasters.
German broadcasters are not keen on its Government’s apparant willingness to U-turn and have written to the Chancellory to remind decision makers of the importance of the terrestrial airwaves for broadcasters and cultural event organisers.
Future broadcasting usage
Not all countries want terrestrial broadcasting to stay as it is now.
For example, France wants to use the terrestrial TV spectrum for UHD broadcasts and to develop 5G Broadcast, seen by some as the next generation free-to-air platform. These services could sit side-by-side with UK terrestrial broadcasts.
But in the UK, there’s been no major push for any new innovations to the existing Freeview terrestrial TV platform, indeed the number of HD channels was cut last year as a result of EE taking over the frequencies used for its 5G service. Instead, broadcasters appear keen to retain the current terrestrial service a little while longer while a plan to migrate all viewers to broadband internet is devised. New Freeview features focus on internet delivery of data to smart TVs. There has been no indication so far that 5G Broadcast will play a role. The current emphasis is on existing internet service providers to provide social tariffs so that poorer households can still access public service audiovisual content.
▶ Overview: Who wants the sub-690 MHz (UHF TV frequency) band?
Broadcasters
At least in some countries, public and commercial broadcasters are still interested in having access to the terrestrial TV frequencies. This includes broadcasters interested in 5G Broadcast, a method of offering free-to-access TV without needing a SIM card or a subscription to an internet service provider.
In the UK, none of the main broadcasters has gone out of the way so far to campaign for the retention of the frequencies for broadcasting.
Event organisers
Under the category of Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE), gaps in the spectrum in-between terrestrial TV services are used for numerous cultural events. The campaign group Save Our Spectrum points out that the radio microphones used by artists on stage need to use these frequencies since “body interference is minimal within this frequency range”
Mobile network operators
Mobile network operators argue they need access to more frequencies so they can continue to boost coverage and deal with the growing amount of mobile data being consumed.
National security agencies
Reports from Germany indicate an interest in allowing security agencies to receive an allocation of spectrum.
Marc Thornham