DIGITALEUROPE Vision - UHF Spectrum

Background and vision

In 2013, DIGITALEUROPE published a position paper recommending repurposing the 694-790 MHz band for Mobile Broadband (MBB) whilst carefully managing the impact on consumers and their legacy equipment.

Discussions are also taking place in the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), the EC’s High Level Group on the UHF band (HLG) and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) on the longer-term options beyond 2020 for the 470-694 MHz band. This could potentially allow for complementing or converging services of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and MBB which would lead to innovation of enhanced technologies and services.

However, this would also likely require new operational, business and regulatory models. In this context, DIGITALEUROPE sees Supplemental Downlink (SDL) as a promising field to explore and recommends further research to develop concepts and proposals for the next decade while carefully considering compatibility with replacement cycles of devices necessary in the migration to protect consumer interests.