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Radiocommunications Agency Business Review 95/96 |
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Radiocommunications Agency Business Review 95/96 |
The Agency completed its review of the management of the spectrum which is used in the
production of programmes for broadcasting, films, adverts and promotional videos, and also
for a wide range of entertainment purposes - including radio microphones - and sporting
events. The spectrum is currently coordinated and licensed on the Agency's behalf by ASP
Frequency Management Ltd and by the Broadcasters' JFMG Ltd.
The review's main recommendations were that:
a single spectrum management organisation should be established with responsibility for licensing all programme making spectrum. The organisation should operate under a contract which would run from 1 April 1997
Ministers accepted the review's conclusions and the Agency has begun to implement the recommendations. In particular, it has invited bids from companies interested in undertaking the work of managing and licensing the programme-making spectrum.
Satellite Television
At the ITU World Radiocommunications Conference in 1995, the Agency played a key role,
including ensuring the successful passage of the European proposals to the conference on
the review of the 1977 Broadcasting Satellite Service (BBS) Plans (commonly referred to as
the 12/18 GHz DBS Plans). The Agency continues to take a lead role in further developing
proposals to finalise the revision of these Plans at WRC-97 by chairing the CEPT Project
Team 2. WRC-97 will be aiming to finalise the modernisation of the BSS Plans initiated at
WRC-95 so as to increase their flexibility and increase the available spectrum/orbit
resource for those satellite operators wishing to develop new operational systems without
undue hindrance.
In preparation for the revision of the DBS Plans by the ITU-R, planning exercises have
been carried out to assess the impact of new technical parameters on the Broadcasting
Satellite Service. As part of this revision, new ITU-R Recommendations will include
improved antenna patterns for both the earth station and the satellite. Additionally,
lower satellite powers will be used, and the required protection ratios decreased. These
modifications will lead to more efficient use of allocated spectrum. Besides considering
the technical parameters, regulatory procedures associated with the implementation of the
DBS Plans are being refined.
The successful coordination of the UK's additional five DBS channels was completed in
November 1995. These were formally added to the BSS plans in March 1996. The UK now has a
total of ten BSS channels at 31û West. Current discussions within Government will lead to
decisions concerning the future of these national assignments in advance of WRC-97.
In October 1995, the UK, on behalf of the Government of Gibraltar, filed with the ITU-R
Radiocommunications Bureau up to 40 BSS channels at ten orbital locations with service
areas covering Europe, Africa and Asia. The Agency is working with representatives of
Gibraltar in seeking coordination of these ambitious proposals.
Terrestrial Television: Digital TV
The publication of the Government's White Paper detailing its proposals on digital
terrestrial broadcasting and the pending introduction of the Broadcasting Act gave new
impetus to the Agency's involvement in establishing and organising the new CEPT Project
Team, PT-24. The Agency chairs the main group and participates in the four Working Groups
of PT24 together with other UK broadcasting interests. PT24 was formed to address the
possibilities for system standards and planning / coordination criteria for implementation
of digital terrestrial television in Europe.
At the same time the Agency, together with representatives of national broadcasting
interests, (ITC and the BBC) has been pursuing a programme of meetings with its European
colleagues in order to seek their agreement to plans for the initial introduction of
digital terrestrial television in the UK. As a result, preliminary draft agreements on
coordination criteria and procedures are being considered, the substance of which, it is
planned, will form the basis of adopted CEPT standards and planning / coordination
criteria for the implementation of DVB-T in Europe.
Digital terrestrial television could mean many more channels providing opportunities for
British manufacturers and programme makers. In the longer term, it is envisaged that the
widespread take up of digital television will enable the switch off of existing analogue
television transmissions, leading to the release of valuable spectrum for new broadcasting
use or other applications.
Terrestrial Television: Analogue TV
The Agency's role of agreeing UHF television planning necessary for extending the national
coverage of BBC 1, BBC 2, Channel 3 and Channel 4 continued throughout the year. During
the period from December 1994 to December 1995, technical approval for a further 22 new
relay stations and 18 self-help transmitters was granted.
The Agency was involved in the oversight of the development and planning of the enhanced
PAL system, PAL Plus. This currently enables viewers to sample the benefits of true
wide-screen pictures on suitable receivers before the arrival of digital television.
A detailed review of the new proposals for Channel 5 and its implications for future
digital television broadcasting has been undertaken. The new Channel 5 plan is aimed at
maximising existing aerial reception and reducing the VCR re-tuning problem. This has
involved a significant re-engineering and re-coordination effort, including a
re-evaluation of the impact of the largely horizontal polarised transmitter plan on 50 cm
aeronautical radars. Following the award of the licence for Channel 5, work has continued
towards the optimisation of the transmitter plan to maximise coverage.
Terrestrial Television: MVDS
The period saw the completion of Issue 1 of MPT1560 which will be used for the type
approval of 40 GHz digital MVDS equipment. The specification successfully cleared the
89/189 'Barriers to Trade' EC Directive notification procedures. This MPT Specification
was prepared in the Agency's 40 GHz Working Group which has members drawn from the UK and
around the world.
In the wider European field the DVB-Project established a DVB-MVDS Ad-Hoc Group, chaired
and supported by the Agency. This group successfully produced two specifications: DVB-MS
for digital coding and modulation of MVDS systems operating above 10 GHz, and DVB-MC for
systems operating below 10 GHz. The DVB-MS specification was finalised and submitted to
ETSI for public enquiry, and the DVB-MC specification has been approved by the DVB
Steering Board for submission to ETSI.
The Agency has awarded the type approval of MVDS antennas in compliance with MPT1550. This
is the first type approval of MVDS equipment in the UK.
The Agency continues its analysis of the bids received by the ITC in response to the
advertising of LDO franchises. Advice is given to the ITC relating to the MVDS content of
each bid. Broadcasting Spectrum Advisory Committee (BSAC) BSAC includes representatives of
broadcasters - terrestrial, satellite and cable; programme makers, equipment manufacturers
and government departments. It provides a forum for the discussion of issues affecting the
use of broadcasting and programme making spectrum. It meets every six months. During the
year the main topics it covered were developments in digital broadcasting, the impact of
the EMC regulations, spectrum pricing and the results of the ERO's Detailed Spectrum
Investigation Phase 2.
Sound Broadcasting
The Agency participated in the CEPT Terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting (T-DAB)
planning conference held in Wiesbadden 3-21 July 1995. As a result of the conference the
UK has secured seven frequency blocks for primary use of BBC National and Independent
National and Regional Radio Services. The BBC instigated its T-DAB transmissions from a
five transmitter network serving Greater London in September 1995, with plans to extend
the network to reach 60% of the UK population by 1998. The Agency has also licensed
multiplex providers for the independent sector in London and Birmingham, thus providing a
test bed for this new service.
The Agency's Radio Planning Group continues to approve terrestrial sound broadcasting
assignments in both the VHF and MF bands at a national level. At a local/regional level
the sub-band 105-108 MHz is now being assigned by the Radio Authority to Regional Local
and Small Scale services. In the independent sector, nineteen licences were issued in the
VHF band and eleven in the MF band. The BBC has continued to develop its national network,
a further fifteen fillers were licensed this year.
The demand for Restricted Radio Service (RSL) licences resulted in more than 330
applications being approved during the year. Among these were twenty for sporting events
in the AM band over 28 broadcast dates during the year, including an application to cover
the Grand Prix at Silverstone. Another growth area is Very Low Power Permanent Stations.
Using 50mW in the FM band, these are usually assigned to users such as hospitals or
universities for a licence period of eight years.
The Agency was instrumental in carrying out analysis and measurements on sharing and
compatibility for a number of services that are potentially affected by the introduction
of the new T-DAB service. Many of these results have been published in Annex 2 of the
Final Acts of the CEPT-T-DAB Planning Meeting. In particular, information was provided to
cover UK interests in PMR and fixed links.
The ITU-R produced a special publication on Digital Sound Broadcasting that was available
just in time for the Wiesbaden CEPT meeting. This book is considered as the technical
'bible' on DAB matters. A member of the sound broadcasting section played a major role in
the special rapporteur's group that drafted this publication.
Standards
Work has continued on standards in a number of areas.
There has been further work on the EMC VHF/FM transmitters standard. A European harmonised
standard has now been produced based on the pr ETS 300 447 and the Spurious Emission
clauses from ETS 300 384. This standard was drafted at a rapporteurs meeting held at the
ETSI headquarters, Sophia Antipolis, in February 1996.
Amendments are being considered for the DAB standard ETS 300 401 to incorporate new
features. One significant addition is that of a so-called mode 4, which is a mode suited
to mixed satellite and terrestrial use.
Work is also continuing in the DAB receivers area and it is expected that CENELEC will be
producing a DAB receiver standard in the near future.
Type Approval and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
This has been a period of great change owing to a number of internal and external factors.
We have seen a steady increase in type approval applications and a large increase in EMC
applications as products are required to comply with the EMC Directive as from 1 January
1996. This has meant additional testing for most products, but should give access to wider
markets. The Agency provides an EMC certification service to manufacturers, although they
may obtain their certificates from any EMC Notified Body in Europe. Many more test houses
are now submitting reports to the Agency.
Unfortunately the significant increase in applications coincided with staffing and
operational difficulties within the type approval (mobile radio) section, and this led to
a backlog of work and long delays in the processing of applications. In order to overcome
these problems additional resources were made available and a detailed review was
undertaken with a view to streamlining the application and processing procedures. New
application forms were introduced which included declarations to be signed by both the
applicant and the test house. These changes, additional staffing and revised processing
procedures enabled the backlog of applications to be largely cleared by April 1996. New
consultation procedures have been put in place and regular test house liaison meetings are
held to exchange information and resolve problems. Separate meetings are also held with
the Federation of the Electronics Industry (FEI) and LPRA, representing manufacturers, and
it is planned to combine these meetings with the test house liaison meetings so that areas
of common interest can be discussed.
Broadcasting Transmitters: EMC
The duties of the role of Notified Body under the EMC Directive for certification of
television broadcasting transmitters falls on the Agency. Currently there are no EMC
product specific standards for television broadcasting transmitters. Because of this, the
Agency produced and issued a set of Guidelines for use by test houses and companies
seeking type examination of such equipment. These Guidelines explain the procedures
associated with obtaining EMC type examination, and also the requirements that the Agency
expects to be met by equipment being awarded certification.
The EMC type examination and certification of the first two television broadcasting
transmitters has been successfully completed.
Contents
| Published February 1997 |
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