Economic Advantages of DAB+ Jens Stockmann, Product Specialist Transmission jens.stockmann@gatesair.com

FM, DRM+, HD Radio Transmitter About Gates Air Gates Air is the largest transmitter manufacturer world wide DTV & DAB Transmitter VHF, UHF FM, DRM+, HD Radio Transmitter VHF AM, DRM, HD Radio Transmitter Medium Wave To give you a brief introduction about Harris Broadcast: Harris is the largest broadcast equipment supplier world wide with a very complete portfolio from studio, automation, storage, router, head –end … to transmission. Since more than 80 years Harris designs, manufacture and sell broadcast transmitter. For transmission, my special area, we provide a full scale of products in all standards for TV and Radio Analoge & DTV in VHF and UHF DAB in VHF and L-Band FM, DRM+ and HD Radio in VHF Band II AM, DRM and HD Radio in Medium Wave Harris drives the largest transmitter factory world wide

Economical Advantages of DAB+ Main cost factors of Radio operation Equipment Capital Expenses (CAPEX) Distribution Energy Cooling Floor space Service & maintenance License fee, spectrum costs Simulcast period, operation of analog and digital Radio in parallel Operational Expenses (OPEX) Speaking about economical aspects of DAB+ we have to consider the main cost factors for broadcaster: CAPEX = Capital Expenses, Capital expenses for purchasing the equipment (CAPEX) OPEX = Operational expenses, all costs generated from the daily operation as distribution costs, energy costs and so on In the following I will compare in detail the situation with FM and DAB+

Terrestrial digital Radio technologies all using OFDM type of modulation Differences in spectrum use and capacity For optimized coverage Single Frequency Network (SFN) in DAB+ and DRM+

Transmission System FM, DAB+, DRM+

The Assumptions used in following comparisons are: The comparison is for cost per service The coverage area is the same for all radio types, DAB+, FM, DRM+ The area to be covered has at least 18 services All services are good quality audio / music

FM - one complete network per program - each transmitter needs another frequency Distribution Network Freq2 Program 2 Distribution Network . Freq 54 Program 18 Distribution Network Each network with complete infrastructure distribution, transmitter, in some case separate towers+ antennas! Several frequencies per network! It’s the bottle neck Often distortions between networks in cities. Independent operator. Nothing to share. (may be antenna)

one network / one frequency for up to 18 Radio programs Contribution Network DAB+ Head-end Distribution Network . Freq1 Program 18 Notes: 18 programs assumes 64kbps each, DQPSK, FEC=0.5 24 programs could be included but at the lower bit rate of 48kbps Typically a DAB+ ensemble will carry between 18 and 24 services – 18 at average of 64kbps, 24 at average of 48kbps (the Adelaide ensemble in Australia has 24 services)

+ one network / one frequency for up to 3 Radio programs Contribution Network DRM+ Head-end Distribution Network Freq1 Program 3 Notes: 3 programs assumes 62kbps each, 16QAM, FEC=0.62 4 programs could be included but at the lower bit rate of 46kbps We note that DRM+ cannot support 4 services at an average bit rate of 48kbps = 196kbps. For DRM+ (DRM robustness mode E) with 16QAM and R=1/2 FEC the capacity is 149.1kbps = approx 37.25kbps per service resulting in relatively poor audio quality (compared with DAB+) as well as lower PAD rates

Cost efficiency of FM, DAB+ and DRM+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage FM DAB+ DRM+ Tx 1, 2, 3 …….. 16, 17, 18 Tx 1 carries 18 programs Tx 1, …….. 6 carries 18 programs 18x FM Transmitter 18x Frequencies 18x Frequency License fee 18x Studio-Transmitter Link (STL) 18x RDS encoder/ Data 18x Large antenna 1x DAB+ Transmitter 1x Frequency 1x Frequency License fee 1x Studio-Transmitter Link (STL) 1x DAB+ Play-out 1x Medium antenna system 6x DRM+ Transmitter 6x Frequency 6x Frequency License fee 6x Studio-Transmitter Link (STL) 6x DRM+ Head-End 6x Large antenna system NOTE: Antenna system aperture for DAB+ around 200MHz is approximately 1/2 that of FM and DRM+ around 100MHz for the same gain. This assumes that all services are located at the same transmission site. In reality it is likely that a single site could not cope with 24 FM antennas so there is likely to be additional site costs for FM and probably also for DRM+ NOTE: DRM+ has a maximum capacity of 186kbps which is equivalent to 62kbps per service using 16QAM and FEC code rate 0.62

Equipment Costs

Transmitter investment costs FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage Transmitter FM DRM+ DAB+ Power 10 kW peak 1 kW rms 2,5 kW rms Price per Transmitter 50.000 USD 45.000 USD 80.000 USD 18 6 1 Price all Transmitter 900.000 USD 270.000 USD DAB Transmitter investment costs 11x lower compared to FM 3x lower compared to DRM+ I our example we consider 18 Radio Programs same coverage each. Comparing FM, DRM+ and DAB+ I have chosen a transmitter power for appr. same coverage. 10kW FM covers appr. same area as 2.5kW DAB+ and 1kW for DRM+. Please consider that the 2.5kW and 1kW are average power due to OFDM modulation. A CRA study found that for Urban Stereo level coverage (FM >61dBuV/m, DAB+ >63dBuV/m) that the ERP for FM and DAB were quite similar. We note however that the gain per antenna in an array is approximately ½ that of DAB+ and that the number of antennas for a given tower aperture is 2/3, hence we have used a factor of 4 when relating the power requirements. TX investment / USD FM power is for stereo coverage With an antenna gain of around 10dB the coverage area is expected to have a radius of approximately 50km depending on the antenna height above ground level and receive area terrain – enough to cover a moderate metro city or major regional area. Prices per unit are average market prices You see a single FM tx is far cheaper than a DAB+ Transmitter. But having the investment costs for 18 programs the situation changes very clearly for DAB+ Now we have to invest 1 200 000 USD for FM TX but still only one DAB+ TX of 120 000 USD.

Energy Costs

Issues Customers Are Facing Rising Cost of Energy Electricity prices increased of 6.3% between 2010 & 2011 Continued to increase 6.6% between 2011 and 2012 Projected to continue to rise throughout the world, increasing by as much as 60% by 2030 Carbon Taxes Some countries have imposed energy taxes based partly on carbon content In Australia the carbon tax in 2012 was at $23 per tonne of CO2 emissions Broadcast Australia estimated the first year of the new tax cost them almost $3M

Energy consumption transmitter FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage DAB+ energy savings 41x lower compared to FM 2,5x lower compared to DRM+ Transmitter FM DRM+ DAB+ Power 10 kW 1 kW rms 2,5 kW rms Efficiency 72% 40 % 40% Energy consumption per Transmitter 13,9 kW 2,5 kW 6,25 kW Transmitters 18 6 1 Energy all Transmitters 250 kW 15 kW Annual cost of energy 328.500 USD 20.000 USD 8.000 USD Energy costs are stated as highest operational costs for the broadcaster. I compare again the situation FM , DRM+ , DAB+ for 18 Radio programs same coverage. The power consumption depends from the power efficiency of the transmitter. In both FM and DAB+ and DRM+ we have increasing power efficiency driven by new technology and transistors. The table shows the actual top efficiency values in the market which are reached from Harris transmitters of course. Calculating the power consumption FM is already behind DAB+ for single transmitter. Considering 18 Radio programs the situation becomes very good for DAB+ with 25 times lower energy consumption compared to FM and 2.4x lower than DRM+. Assumes 0,15 USD per kWh

Energy costs FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage Energy costs over 10 years of operation DAB+ energy savings over 10 years 3.207.000 USD compared to FM 120.000 USD compared to DRM+ But about how many bugs saving we speak? If we look over a operational period of 10 years taken a energy price of actual 0,1 USD per kwh the situation is increadable positive for DAB+ Operating 15 FM programs generates energy costs of more than 1.8 Mio USD in 15 y. DAB+ comes with 73.000 USD over this time. Having in mind the further increase of energy price during this period the advantage is further higher. Please consider: the energy costs savings are serveral times higher than the equipment purchase price! Assumes 0,15 USD / kWh

Cooling Effort

Energy saving for room cooling FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage 1x DAB+ Transmitter 6 x DRM+ Transmitter 18 x FM Transmitter Heat dissipation into the room and necessary room/ building cooling has to be taken in consideration as well. The importance for operation costs is often under estimated. It makes a big difference if 18 transmitters air cooled 10kW FM blow the hot air into the room or only 1 DAB transmitter.

Energy saving for room cooling FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage Transmitter FM DRM+ DAB+ Power 10 kW 1 kW rms 2,5 kW rms Power consumption (rms) 13,9 kW 2,5 kW 6,25 kW Dissipated 3,9 kW 1,5 kW 3,75 kW Transmitter for 18 Radio programs 18 6 1 Dissipated power for 18 programs 70,2 kW 9 kW Cost per annum 92.250 USD 11.800 USD 5.000 USD DAB+ heat dissipation 18x lower to FM 2x lower to DRM+ Example for 15 Radio Programs If you subtract the nominal radiated power from the total power consumption the disspated power remains. For one transmitter (one Radio program) the FM transmitter has lower dissipation values. But for 15 Radio programs DAB+ has 10 times less heat dissipation into the room! That has drastic impact of the dimension of cooling systems and room / building cooling. .. And in the costs/ savings in the end. Back round information for speaker FM 10kW: Harris FAX10k heat dissipation = 3,9kW / 11.260 BTU/h / 0,94 TONS AC load needed FAX10k air volume = 34 m3/h

Energy saving for room cooling FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage Heat dissipation in kW assumes 0,15 USD / kWh cooling energy efficiency ratio of 5 Example for 15 Radio Programs If you subtract the nominal radiated power from the total power consumption the disspated power remains. For one transmitter (one Radio program) the FM transmitter has lower dissipation values. But for 15 Radio programs DAB+ has 10 times less heat dissipation into the room! That has drastic impact of the dimension of cooling systems and room / building cooling. .. And in the costs/ savings in the end. Back round information for speaker FM 10kW: Harris FAX10k heat dissipation = 3,9kW / 11.260 BTU/h / 0,94 TONS AC load needed FAX10k air volume = 34 m3/h

Space in Equipment Room and on Towers

Space savings on transmission site FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage 0,6 m2 1x DAB+ Transmitter 1 m 3,6 m2 6 x DRM+ Transmitter 1 m 18 x FM Transmitter 10,8 m2 9,0 m 1 m Occupied floor space is a cost criteria in cases where the operator needs to pay for floor space in the TX site. Rack size the same for DAB+ and FM 0,6m x 1,0m = 0,6m2 per rack In our example of 18 Radio transmitter a quite high area is occupied by transmitter This means by the way also a high installation effort. Using DAB transmitter the occupied floor space is 18 time less. Having in mind that up to 18 programs can be transmitted by one DAB+ transmitter the situation is much better for DAB+ in kind of occupied floor space.

Save tower & antenna space with DAB+ Analoge FM, DRM+ Many towers Interferences DAB+ Single Antenna No interferences

Cost of space Typical cost of floor space in transmitter hall and antenna aperture on the transmission tower can vary significantly : When the facilities are owned by the broadcaster there will always be some component cost to maintain the facility The location of the facility will impact the cost, facilities for major cities often cost significantly more than for rural facilities The amount of space required, particular the antenna aperture The costs below are typical costs for a single installation for both antenna aperture and transmitter hall space: $5k pa if the antenna, transmission tower and building is owned by the broadcaster (contribution to site maintenance and on-costs) $35k USD pa for low cost sites in regional areas $75k USD pa for high cost sites in major cities

The Cost of Space Cost comparison for combined antenna aperture on the transmission tower and transmitter room space Transmitter FM DRM+ DAB+ Situation Owned Regionsite Metro site Region site Cost per annum ,000s USD 5 35 75 Number of transmitters 18 6 1 ,000 USD 90 630 1,350 30 210 450 The cost of DAB+ transmitter tower and hall space is 18x lower compared to FM 6x lower compared to DRM+

Service & Maintenance

Reduced Service & Maintenance Cost FM, DRM+ and DAB+ 1x DAB+ Transmitter Drastic Service cost reductions using DAB+ reduced spare part stock reduced part diversity reduced maintenance effort 6 x DRM+ Transmitter 18 x FM Transmitter Service and maintenance is told as 3rd big cost position from broadcaster. In FM many transmitter from different supplier require a large spare part stock . This fixes a lot of capital and costly storage space. Additional the service staff needs to be trained and familiar with the different systems and supplier. Last but not least as more transmitter installed as more service issues will appear over the time causing program interruption and service costs. DAB+ with only one transmitter infrastructure for many (up to 18) programs avoids all this disadvantages and reduces the maintenance effort and costs to a minimum.

Reduced Service & Maintenance Cost FM, DRM+ and DAB+ Example: 18 Radio Programs same coverage There are a number of options for operations and maintenance including Broadcaster provides internal staff to conduct the work, often the case for commercial broadcasters A managed service is used, often the case for multiplexes which have multiple broadcasters, e.g. DAB+ A mixture where the operations aspects are conducted by the broadcaster but maintenance is done by a contract organization, this occurs in large metro transmission sites as well as remote sites Transmitter FM DRM+ DAB+ Situation Owned Regional site Metro site Weeks of effort per annum 2 4 12 Cost per annum ,000s USD 5 10 50 Number of transmitters 18 6 1 Cost per annum ,000 USD 90 60 The cost of DAB+ maintenance is approximately the same as DRM+ and 1/2 of FM

Summary

Summary economical advantages of DAB+ Drastic cost reductions (CAPEX & OPEX) using DAB+ compared to FM for: Equipment Distribution Energy Cooling Space Service & Maintenance RF transmission License Fees DAB+ is benefits to both the listener and the broadcaster. While the listener benefit from clear & distortion free sound, additional data & information presented in modern style. The Broadcaster benefit from drastic cost savings compared to actual FM transmission. The acceptance to share infrastructure and same coverage should be in place, but I think no issue seeing these savings. In the end the broadcaster has to compete in content and not in technical restrictions.

Simulcast period Simulcast period most costly for program provider Transition period from analog to digital for Radio is longer than for TV Additional costs of transmission during the simulcast period will be approximately 10% -15% more relative to FM operation for each program provider. Broadcaster may not be able to compensate all additional costs of simulcast operation by more revenue Simulcast costs are critical for acceptance & motivation of broadcaster Clear road map of analog to digital transition helps to secure planning Cost compensations for broadcaster during simulcast period

DAB+ for local Broadcaster Cost effective Soft Defined DAB+ solution based on Open Code Software Standard PC for DAB Head-End (Audio live encoding, Multiplexing) Open source software (CRC mmb tools) Broadband internet access First local licenses in Switzerland Head-End Transmission site Stream Audio Player Audio Encoder Studios DAB+ MUX Laptop Mask Filter Contact: coinchon@ebu. More information on www.opendigitalradio.org wiki.digris.ch mmbtools.crc.ca Internet Tx EDI

Thank you for your attention! It’s time for DAB+ !