IBC 2009 – Amsterdam. The use of the 790 to 862MHz frequency range for mobile services risks causing severe interference to DTT reception, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Returning to a reoccurring theme at recent IBC conferences, senior EBU engineer Darko Ratkaj issued a plea to manufacturers to tighten up their specifications to prevent picture loss. “All existing DTT receivers are vulnerable, it’s not to say that new receivers won’t be better, but those being sold now face problems.” He added that there were also issues for cable reception.
Ratkaj ran a video that showed while in analogue a picture would experience snow-type interference, when a mobile device was used in close proximity a digital picture was lost altogether.
DTT reception could also be damaged by a mobile transmission that would effectively ‘punch holes’ into the DTT coverage area. A proposed solution are low power repeaters that would share masts with a mobile operator, but these bring problems both in terms of regulation and funding.
The European Commission will make a decision on the use of the 790 to 862MHz range after the acceptance of a report being compiled by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).
