Brussels, 22/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a fortnight the European Commission is expected to adopt a draft communication, “Strengthening the Internal Market for Mobile TV”. In this document it defines a proactive and coordinated Community strategy for developing mobile television technology. Just as countries are setting up their own markets, such an initiative for coordinating efforts is urgently needed. With the forthcoming European football championships and Peking Olympic Games, the European Union will have to catch up its Asian rivals, principally Japan and China, if it wants a good place in this market full of potential in terms of investment, trade outlets and job creation. According to the European Commission, the mobile television market will be worth between €7-20bn in 2011 for 200-500 million users worldwide. The Commission and the European Mobile Broadcasting Council (EMBC) have identified three guidelines: approximation of standards and interoperability; implementation of a regulatory framework in favour of innovation and investment and ensuring mobile TV services quality frequency on the radio-electric spectrum.
Technical aspects
The European Commission considers that adoption of a common standard would be the best solution. Such an orientation would enable industry to make significant economies of scale while avoiding technological fragmentation. The European Commission would like European industry to adopt DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting). This technology is already found throughout Europe and allows broadcasters to transmit an exceptionally high definition image to an infinite number of receivers. The Commission is therefore proposing to monitor developments on the European market. The Commission may, if it considers it necessary, elaborate proposals at the beginning of 2008 or indeed make the use of this standard compulsory. It might also add the DVB-H standard to the List of Standards published by the Official Journal.
Regulatory framework
National approaches involve authorisations for the diffusion of mobile television programmes that vary considerably from one member state to another. The market sometimes even suffers from a legal loophole, which penalises potential operators. The European Commission recognises that the decision to grant licences falls to member states but would like to provide more economic security to industrial actors. This is why it is seeking to clarify the allocation system in order to help the different actors compete on a level playing field. Member states are therefore invited to identify and eliminate legal obstacles. At the same time the Commission will enhance trade between member states and ensure the diffusion of best practices.
Access to radio-electric
The Commission is hoping to allocate mobile television frequencies as soon as possible. It therefore considers that implementation of a genuine European policy for allocating frequencies. The Commission emphasises that the complete halt to analogue television planned for 2012, to the benefit of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), will free up frequencies. This resource is known as the “digital dividend” and the Commission considers that mobile television services are expected to be one of the main beneficiaries. The Ultra High Frequency (UHF) spectrum (470 and 862 MHz) is considered as being most adapted to the broadcasting of analogue and digital television.
The Commission, then, is calling on member states to make digital dividend UHF spectrum frequencies available. A European Commission communication on the digital dividend is expected for the end of the year. This will allow a strategy for the use of the freed-up frequencies to be drawn up. In addition, the Commission is currently working with member states to make available a group of harmonised frequencies. The L-band (1452-1492 MHz) could provide an alternative in markets where there is no other spectrum available (gc)