1. Possibilities, Promises and Planning
Digital Radio:
Possibilities, Promises and Planning
Murray Delahoy
Principal Engineer
Broadcast Spectrum Strategy

2. Overview Digital Radio Survey of systems
Introduction, systems and key technologies
Survey of systems
T-DAB, HD-Radio, DRM, Satellite
Australian activities
Resources, questions

3. - T-DAB, DRM, HD-Radio, DRM+, T-DMB, DVB-H
Digital Radio
What is Digital Radio?
terrestrial
- T-DAB, DRM, HD-Radio, DRM+, T-DMB, DVB-H
satellite
- Worldspace, S-DMB, Sirius, XM-Radio
Why are we interested?

4. Key technologies Digital Radio perceptual audio coding
Multi-level modulation
COFDM
SFN

5. Some recent international developments
Digital Radio
Some recent international developments
T-DAB
Considerable take-up of T-DAB in UK (3.1 million units)
VHF Band III receiver prices falling (£35)
Other European, Canada and Asian countries have operating T-DAB services
But take-up is less impressive elsewhere
Germany is “re-purposing” its L-Band DAB network for T-DMB
Korean T-DMB is achieving rapid early growth (1 million units)
HD Radio (formerly known as IBOC or IBAC)
HD Radio standard well accepted in US
but so far only about 10% broadcasters are transmitting
consumer take up slow but seems to be gradually increasing
few receivers in the market (cheapest approx US$100)
DRM and DRM+ (…and no it isn’t Digital Rights Management!)
AM/FM/DAB/DRM LW/MW/SW/VHF Band III/L Band
26 MHz short wave band for local broadcasting ??
DRM+ extension to or MHz bands
consumer radios now available (€299)

6. HD-Radio Digital Radio proprietary system developed by iBiquity
being promoted by US terrestrial radio broadcasters
some non-US countries are broadcasting: Brazil, France, Philipines
Modulation is COFDM
MPEG-4 Perceptual Audio Coding
AM and FM versions
FM version: 96 kbit/s
AM version: 36 kbit/s
Digital blending
Provides extra channel and/or data capacity
Sharing issues
400 KHz FM spacing might be problematic
AM spacing issues

7. HD-Radio – example of FM spectrum usage
Digital Radio
HD-Radio – example of FM spectrum usage

8. HD-Radio – example of AM spectrum usage
Digital Radio
HD-Radio – example of AM spectrum usage

9. T- DAB … what is it? Digital Radio
1.536 MHz spectrum blocks support approx. 1.2 Mbit/s
MPEG-2 audio coding can provide 9x128kbit/s “FM radio” streams
Can also carry data services
Moves to allow improved audio coding
Mobile video is possible
T-DMB: 1 or 2 reasonable small screen video channels
Signals must be multiplexed together
at point of transmission or somewhere else?
Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (COFDM)
kHz carriers
By not transmitting during “guard interval” multipath and co-channel interference from other transmitters in a network can be rejected
Single Frequency Network (SFN) concept

10. T-DAB … planning issues
Digital Radio
T-DAB … planning issues
Spectrum availability
VHF Band III ( MHz or perhaps 240 MHz)
sharing with TV needs to be considered
L Band ( MHz)
Sharing issues
terrestrial: fixed links, P-MP, Aeronautical Telemetry and DVB-H ?
satellite: S-DAB MHz (and possible terrestrial repeaters)
Suitability of bands
Building penetration losses
Cost of L-Band deployments
antenna performance

11. DRM and DRM+ Digital Radio DRM DRM+ 8-20 kbit/s in a 9 kHz AM channel
compatible with medium and short wave broadcast spectrum
8-20 kbit/s in a 9 kHz AM channel
MPEG-4 audio coding - “comparable to FM quality” at 20 kbit/s
COFDM with QPSK/16-QAM/64-QAM
doesn’t require multiplexing of different program streams
no significant receiver base yet
DRM+
50 or 100 kHz channels - “near CD quality” audio
bands up to 108 MHz
expected to be developed by 2009

12. Digital Radio
DRM and DRM+

13. Satellite Digital Radio US systems in 2320-2345 MHz band
Sirius (3 NGSO satellites + terrestrial repeaters)
XM-Radio (2 GSO + terrestrial repeaters)
car radios are the major market
est. subscriber numbers: Sirius 6.2 million, XM-Radio 8.5 million
Under RR only US, Mexico and India can access MHz for BSS(S) and complementary terrestrial repeaters
Worldspace MHz
operating satellites: Asiaspace, Afrispace
Asian beams cover SE Asia, India, NE Asia

14. Digital Radio
Worldspace coverage

15. Australian activities
Digital Radio
Australian activities
Government policy statements: October 2005, April 2006
Staged approach
Commence in state capital cities: 1 January 2009
T-DAB in VHF Band III ( MHz) & L-Band ( MHz)
Capacity for national, commercial and some wide area community services
Regional areas, other community and other radio services to be considered later
Watching brief on other technologies – especially to address needs of regional areas
Provision for future satellite use in L-Band

16. More information Digital Radio
HD-Radio:
T-DAB:
ETSI EN v.1.3.3
EBU BPN003 Technical Bases for T-DAB Network Planning …
DRM:
ACMA:

17. Digital Radio
Thank you
Questions ?