Digital UK has published a new study that backs its earlier calls for a reappraisal of the way UHF spectrum is allocated.
The report by telecoms specialists Aetha Consulting estimates changes could unlock a capacity increase of up to 70 per cent.
In ten years there have been constant demands on the UHF spectrum currently used for Digital Terrestrial Television. The 700MHz band being the latest tranche of spectrum to be sold off, despite the Freeview service being the most widely used TV service in the UK.
Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Digital UK, said: ‘The time has come to take a more strategic view and move beyond the approach of ‘salami slicing’ DTT spectrum to create capacity for mobile data. Any further cuts to television airwaves are likely to lead to a lose-lose outcome that damages Freeview and creates even greater inefficiency. The proposals in this report offer the prospect of a win-win situation, which sees a major boost for mobile capacity while safeguarding the UK’s most widely used TV service.’
The report highlights how the incremental process of change has produced a fragmented plan for mobile broadband in the 700, 800 and 900MHz bands. It suggests simplifying the use of these frequencies could produce a ‘defragmentation dividend’ of 25-70 per cent, while also future-proofing the spectrum for new technologies, including 5G.
The report offers three illustrative options, including a shift from existing Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) transmission, which provides equal capacity for the uplink and downlink, to Time Division Duplex (TDD) arrangements. The use of TDD would increase downlink capacity to accommodate activities such as video streaming.
