The Digital Dividend, the Swedish perspective

1
The Digital Dividend, the Swedish perspective

• Czech Telecommunication Office Workshop on
  Switchover and Digital Dividend Prag, Sep 25
  26, 2008

2
Presentation topics

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

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Presentation topics (1)

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

4
Decisions during WRC 2007

• Co-primary mobile allocation in UHF band IV/V
  (WRC 1.4)
• 790 862 MHz
• Differencies EMEA Americas - APAC

Region 1 (EMEA)
790 MHz
862 MHz
470 MHz
Mobile
Broadcasting
MOBILE
(2015)
5
One interpretation of the WRC 2007 decisions

• A possibility has been opened up for deployment
  of e.g. wireless / mobile broadband networks in
  the 800 MHz band (790 862 MHz)
• There is room for market specific initiatives in
  anticipation of the 2015 deadline
• The UMTS900 and 800 MHz band issues have now
  become closely related

6
Presentation topics (2)

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

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Spectrum issues in a European context
strategy
RSPGRadio Spectrum Policy GroupOpinions
policy development
European CommissionCommunications
technical adviceby CEPTand market players
RSCRadio Spectrum Committee binding EU Decisions
fortechnical spectrum usage conditions
coordination implementation
spectrum
TCAMTelecom Conformity Assessment establishing
equipment conformity
harmonised standardsby ETSIand market players
equipment
Member Statesnational regulation
implementation
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EU publications (a)

• Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) Opinions
• Spectrum implications of switchover to digital
  broadcasting
• Introduction of multimedia services in
  broadcasting bands
• Spectrum policy implications of the digital
  dividend

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EU publications (b)

• Commission Communication (Nov 2007)Reaping the
  full benefits of the digital dividend in Europe
  A common approach to the use of the spectrum
  released by the digital switchover
• Application clustering
• Unidirectional high power networks(Terrestrial
  broadcasting)
• Unidirectional medium to low power
  networks(Mobile multimedia)
• Bi-directional low power networks(Wireless
  broadband)

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EU analogue TV switch-off

• Aim for a common European time schedule and a
  common European solution
• EU Commission target date for switch-off early
  2012
• Some countries are well on their way
• But some are not

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Presentation topics (3)

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

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Premium spectrum a term often used
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The 800 MHz-band in perspective
800 MHz
72 MHz (790 862 MHz)
GSM900
70 MHz
GSM1800
150 MHz
UMTS 2 GHz
155 MHz
2,6 GHz
190 MHz
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Propagation characteristics
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Relative cost of building coverage
Source BBC RD
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Increasing demand for spectrum on a changing
broadband market
Broadband subscription forecast
2100
Fixed
Mobile
1800
1500
1200
Subscriptions (Millions)
900
600
300
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Source Ovum Ericsson
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Auction fact(s)

• FCC (US) held an auction for the 700 MHz band
  (gt100 MHz) which ended in March 2008.
• Total price Close to 20 billion USD

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Presentation topics (4)

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

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Digital switch-over in Sweden

• Start of digital terrestrial TV services 1999
• Government Bill on switch-over and analogue
  switch-off March 2003
• Analogue transmissions closed down in (regional)
  stages
• Started in 2005
• Last analogue transmitter was closed in October
  2007

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The PTS report on digital dividend September 2006

• PTS was assigned by the Government to make an
  investigation into
• What amount of frequencies can be released?
• What could the frequencies be used for?
• Maximum digital dividend, bands I, III and IV/V
  189 MHz

• During the assignment PTS arranged an open
  seminar and commissioned two external studies
  (one technical and one commercial) which were
  consulted with the market
• In the report the PTS gave no direct
  recommendation on the way forward, but described
  options and potential consequences of these ? In
  the end it is a political decision

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The PTS spectrum policy

• Licences to use radio transmitters shall be as
  technology and service neutral as possible
• When selection procedures are required, an
  auction should be applied in the first instance
• Second-hand trading (transfer of licences) shall
  be promoted
• Licence exemption should be introduced where
  there is little risk of harmful interference and
  there are no other impediments

• The rights and obligations of the licence holder
  should be clear and not be changed without notice
  and good reasons
• A minimum of administrative burdens shall be
  imposed on licence holders
• The application procedure should be simplified
  through the use of relevant IT tools, for
  example, web applications
• Spectrum allocation shall be harmonised with
  other countries as far as this is possible

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Presentation topics (5)

• WRC 2007 conclusions
• Situation within the European Union
• Value of the dividend spectrum
• Decisions and strategies in Sweden's early
  conversion of the spectrum
• Replanning and reuse of the spectrum

23
Starting point for the 800 MHz band
Channel 65 (822-830 MHz) Typical channel 800-862
MHz
Channel 28 (526-534 MHz) Typical channel 470-750
MHz
Channel 59 (774-782 MHz) Typical channel 750-800
MHz
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Putting the plan into practice- government
decision and task for PTS

• The Government decision on December 19, 2007
• 790 - 862 MHz (the 800 MHz band) should be
  vacated
• a sixth multiplex should be established under 790
  MHz
• a new multiplex should be established in band III
  (VHF)
• PTS assignment to produce a plan
• Vacate the 800 MHz band
• New multiplex under 790 MHz
• New multiplex in band III
• Co-ordinate as far as possible with neighbouring
  countries
• Assignment to be reported to the Government no
  later than December 15, 2008

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Future work on the 800 MHz band

• Plan to vacate the band
• Harmonisation and spectrum arrangements
• Award process
• Open invitation, service and technology neutral,
  tradable
• No official date for award, indication 2009-2010
  timeframe

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Some open issues

• Possible downlink below 790 MHz
• Use of lt790 MHz space for e.g. broadband
  services, still within agreed broadcasting
  planning
• Mobile TV spectrum allocation
• DVB-H Standard recommended by the EU commission
• Several technologies compete
• As of today, no dedicated spectrum for mobile TV
  purposes
• Equipment
• No off-the-shelf equipment available today for
  the 800 MHz band, but
• Very likely to appear.

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Thank you for your attention!

• Johan Martensson
• Director
• Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, PTS
• Spectrum Markets Department
• johan.martensson_at_pts.se
• www.pts.se lthttp//www.pts.se/gt