A group of associations and companies from the broadcasting industry and the culture of Europe, has once again offered an assessment of the emergency situation that DTT has and a new appeal to Europe to act before the celebration at the end of this year of the World Radiocommunication Conference in Dubai.
A new version of the “Call for Europe” has been published to try to save the DTT spectrum and that it does not end up disappearing.
DTT is in danger of disappearing
After the first and second Digital Dividend, DTT in our country uses the spectrum band 470-694 MHz, known as sub700MHz. It is precisely this last loophole that is in danger, since access to this band is not guaranteed in the long term.
From November 20, 2023 to December 15 of the same year, the members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will meet in Dubai at the WRC 2023. A decision will be made there that can condemn Digital Terrestrial Television to extinction. DTT and Programs and Special Events (PMSE) will only be able to continue to function properly and develop successfully if they maintain their frequency allocation in the UHF 470-694 MHz range. Without access to this portion of the spectrum, DTT would disappear.
‘Information, entertainment and education content must continue to be available as immersive basic services to all Europeans. Without access to spectrum, terrestrial broadcasting via DVB-T2 will no longer be possible and broadcast via 5G-Broadcast will not happen.”
Third manifesto of the Call to Europe Project
After a first edition in September 2022 and a second in November of that same year, the closeness of the celebration of the World Radiocommunication Conference means that a third version of the “Call to Europe”whose recipients are policy makers and regulatory authorities across the continent.
On this occasion, the signatories include more than 100 cultural and media organizations and artists in 22 countries (including Spain) are calling for the UHF frequency band (470-694 MHz) to be secured in the long term. This would serve for terrestrial digital TV transmission and production tools such as wireless microphones.
Some of the Spanish signatories They are: RTVE, AFIAL (Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Audiovisual Technology), FAETEDA (State Federation of Associations of Theater and Dance Companies), Unión Televisión Comerciales en Abierto and AUC (Association of Communication Users).
In mid-May 2023, the European Union Commission intends to announce its decision for the WRC-23 World Radiocommunication Conference. In the process, the frequency band used by the media and cultural organization could be transferred to mobile broadband services as part of the so-called co-primary allocation. There are also discussions about the allocation of part of the frequency band to organizations with security tasks. The frequencies would no longer be available for television and production.
- Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UHF spectrum is simple, inclusive and cheap: plugging in a TV offers instant access to a host of public and private programs.
- It is reliable in all situations: even in natural or man-made disasters, broadcast distribution is very robust.
- It is a sustainable distribution method, and the most sustainable when it comes to distributing content for everyone.
- It is innovative: it requires constant innovation and development of new digital technologies such as 5G Broadcast.