1. Update on the digital dividend in the UK (Cleared Spectrum)
IEEE802 Interim Meeting San Francisco 13th July 2009
Update on the digital dividend in the UK (Cleared Spectrum)
Andy Gowans, SPG, Ofcom UK
15th July 2009

2. Contents Digital Dividend reminder Cleared Spectrum Ofcom Statement
European Studies
BEMs
Next Steps

3. An overview of the available spectrum
Analogue TV uses 368MHz in UHF band ( MHz)
Proposals looking at best options for:
256MHz reserved for digital terrestrial TV (DTT)
112MHz freed up by DSO ( plus 2 x 8MHz freed from aeronautical radar and radio astronomy) – in total 128MHz of cleared spectrum
Also use of white space in DTT network - “interleaved spectrum”.

4. UHF Bands IV and V – UK plan
Channel 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32
Frequency
470
470 - -
478
478
478
478 - -
486
486
486
486 - -
494
494
494
494 - -
502
502
502
502 - -
510
510
510
510 - -
518
518
518
518 - -
526
526
526
526 - -
534
534
534
534 - -
542
542
542
542 - -
550
550
550
550 - -
558
558
558
558 - -
566
566
(MHz) 33 33 34 34 35 35 36 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44
566
566 - -
574
574
574
574 - -
582
582
582
582 - -
590
590
590
590 - -
598
598
598
598 - -
606
606
606
606 - -
614
614
614
614 - -
622
622
622
622 - -
630
630
630
630 - -
638
638
638
638 - -
646
646
646
646 - -
654
654
654
654 - -
662
662 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 53 53 54 54 55 55 56 56
662
662 - -
670
670
670
670 - -
678
678
678
678 - -
686
686
686
686 - -
694
694
694
694 - -
702
702
702
702 - -
710
710
710
710 - -
718
718
718
718 - -
726
726
726
726 - -
734
734
734
734 - -
742
742
742
742 - -
750
750
750
750 - -
758
758 57 57 58 58 59 59 60 60 61 61 62 62 63 63 64 64 65 65 66 66 67 67 68 68
758
758 - -
766
766
766
766 - -
774
774
774
774 - -
782
782
782
782 - -
790
790
790
790 - -
798
798
798
798 - -
806
806
806
806 - -
814
814
814
814 - -
822
822
822
822 - -
830
830
830
830 - -
838
838
838
838 - -
846
846
846
846 - -
854
854 69 69
854
854 - -
862
862
112 MHz of cleared spectrum (14  8 MHz)
Channel 36 (currently used for airport radar, but plans published for clearing radar use)
Channel 69 (used for PMSE but to be allocated as part of Upper cleared award to aligning with CEPT band plan)
256 MHz of spectrum retained for DTT (32  8 MHz but interleaved capacity available within this)
Channel 38 (currently used for radioastronomy but now to be dedicated channel for PMSE)
Channel s 39, 40, (new DTT allocations as part of proposals for alignment with CEPT band plan)
Channel s 61, 62, (to be allocated as part of Upper cleared award to align with the CEPT band plan)

5. International and European developments
World Radiocommunication Conference 2007
Primary mobile allocation for MHz in more Region 1 countries from 2009
Primary mobile application for MHz in all Region 1 countries from 2015
European Commission Communication on digital dividend
Proposed identification of common bands for clusters of similar networks
Did not address precise locations of those bands
CEPT band plan
MHz

6. costs v benefits to align with European harmonisation
Benefits of clearing 800MHz band include:
Lower equipment costs
Fewer restrictions on spectrum use
More valuable spectrum made available
Increased competition
The costs
Less cleared spectrum available for DTT
Implementation costs
direct costs of moving existing DTT and PMSE use out of channels 61, 62 and 69
Minimising impact on consumers and citizens
Net incremental benefit of clearing channels 61,62 and 69 lies within a range of £2 - £3bn (NPV over 20 year period)
£bn
Key:
DTT costs
PMSE cost 3 2 1
Benefits
Costs

7. Contents Digital Dividend reminder Cleared Spectrum Ofcom Statement
European Studies
BEMs
Next Steps

8. Statements on Cleared Spectrum
Publication of Digital Britain Final Report on 16/06/09 see ;
Statement on “Digital dividend: clearing the 800 MHz band” published 30/06/09 contains proposals for:
clearing MHz (channels 61 to 69) of existing and previously planned users and align the upper band of the UK’s digital dividend with CEPT Band Plan.
how we intend to move those existing and previously planned users – digital terrestrial television (DTT) and programme-making and special events (PMSE) – from channels 61, 62 and 69 to equivalent spectrum elsewhere in the Digital Dividend.
Our next steps including some information on how we intend to re plan the lower Digital Dividend to relocate the effected upper band DTT and PMSE services.

9. Ofcom’s proposals to align with European band plan69 62
DTT
Cleared spectrum
PMSE 30 50
CLEARED 61 41 40 38 39
Existing band plan
Proposed band plan

10. Cleared spectrum: harmonised technical conditions
Response to EC Mandate split into 3 parts by CEPT
Development of Protection Criteria for Broadcast and PMSE services
Development of Least Restrictive Technical conditions for ECS
Development of Appropriate Channel Plan (s) for ECS
Draft Response to the EC Mandate approved at the ECC meeting (June 09)
TG4 developed Protection Criteria CEPT Reports 23,24,25,29,32 & ECC Report 138
PT1 developed Channel Plan(s) CEPT Report 31 (also see ECC Decision (09) EE)
SE42 developed Least Restrictive Technical Conditions (BEM) CEPT Report 30
Status in July 09
CEPT Report 30 is currently open for public consultation .
BEMs for ECN both FDD/TDD D/L and FDD/TDD U/L
BEMs for Low power services in the FDD Duplex Gap
BEMs for PMSE services in the TDD guard band
A number of CEPT Countries have indicated they intend to clear 790 – 862 MHz.

11. Introduction to BEMs
A BEM is an emission mask that is defined, as a function of frequency, relative to the edge of a block of spectrum that is licensed to an operator.
It consists of in-block and out-of-block components which specify the permitted emission levels over frequencies inside and outside the licensed block of spectrum respectively.
The out-of-block component of the BEM itself consists of a baseline level and, where applicable, intermediate (transition) levels which describe the transition from the
in-block level to the baseline level as a function of frequency.
BEMs shall be applied as an essential component of the technical conditions necessary to ensure coexistence between services at a national level. However, it should be understood that the derived BEMs do not provide full protection of victim services and additional mitigation techniques and/or a protection clause may need to be applied in order to resolve any remaining cases of interference.

12. Introduction to BEMs
The BEMs for TDD devices are derived here with the assumption that TDD networks in adjacent frequencies are unsynchronised. Less stringent BEM limits may be used (subject to agreement by affected parties) if the TDD networks are synchronised.
The BEMs are presented as upper limits on the mean EIRP. These are defined as the maximum EIRP value measured or integrated by an RMS detector over the specified measurement bandwidth, and over an averaging time interval of a signal burst duration.
In general, and unless stated otherwise, the BEM levels correspond to the power radiated by the relevant device irrespective of the number of transmit antennas, except for the transition requirements which are specified per antenna.

13. Outline of BEMs in CEPT Report 30
See the hidden slides in this presentation or CEPT Report 30 for the actual agreed BEMs for the following services :
FDD base stations
FDD terminal stations
TDD base stations
TDD terminal stations
Low-power services in the duplex gap of FDD band-plan
PMSE services in the guard-band of the TDD band-plan

14. EC Consultation on Digital Dividend
The European Commission have issued a consultation on the digital dividend which was published last week (10 July). It emphasises the potential benefit of an appropriate co-ordinated European approach (which is estimated to provide an additional EUR billion benefit between now and 2015 above individual national plans). The key points of this consultation are:
The Commission has indicated its intention to come forward with proposals later this year which will then need to be discussed with the European Parliament and the Council (Member States). The actions currently under consideration include:
Ensuring the availability of a compression standard at least as efficient as MPEG 4 on all DTT receivers sold after 1 Jan 2012;
Setting standards for the ability of digital TV receivers to resist interference;
Promoting co-operation between Member States;
Adopting a common position across the EU on potential use of white space;
Encouraging’ Member States to sign the WRC footnote covering clearance of at next WRC.
In addition there are two more immediate actions proposed;
Proposal for an EC Decision which would not necessarily mandate clearance of but if a MS does, would require that it is done in accordance with the CEPT band plan.
Plan is that this could be agreed over the autumn (through RSC) and come into force early next year.
Request MS to reaffirm their commitment to the EU target date for switchover (Jan 2012)

15. Next Steps
Planning how to integrate new DTT plans into UK DSO plans. (Jul 09 onwards)
Re-negotiating GE06 agreements with neighbouring countries where necessary. Jul 09 onwards)
Prepare UK comments for public consultation for CEPT Report 30 and EC Decision (09) EE. (July – Aug 09)
Depending on the responses to the CEPT consultation, provide inputs to the next SE42 and ECC meetings. ( Aug – Oct 09)
Participate in EU Radio Spectrum Committee discussions on CEPT response to mandate – (Oct 09 onwards)
Participate in EU RSC discussions on EC Consultation results (autumn 09)
Ofcom are continuing to undertake a raft of work on ensuring that both the DTT and PMSE migration to the new channels is as smooth as possible, and we will be consulting on our implementation plans (separately for DTT and PMSE) in the late Autumn. (July 09 onwards)