The refarming process in Poland was completed a few months ago. With the transition to DVB-T2/HEVC, the 700 MHz band was transferred to the telecommunications operators. Telecommunications would also like to acquire the 600 MHz band for their services. In countries like the Czech Republic or Belgium, there are rumors to focus on streaming instead of traditional television. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) objects. Over 50 companies and organizations from all over the continent have also signed up to the “Appeal to Europe” in defense of terrestrial television. Among these, e.g. Polish television, German Emitel, ARD and ZDF, Spanish RTVE or Italian Rai and Mediaset. The final decision will be made at the Dubai WRC conference.
60 percent multiplex in the European Union in the DVB-T2 standard
The study conducted by LStelcom and VVA describes the state and importance of digital terrestrial television in all the countries of the European Union. The report will allow the European authorities to take a position on the matter. The UHF band, due to its propagation values, is particularly appreciated by telecommunications operators.
The study authors noted that approximately 60 percent. national multiplexes in the EU use the DVB-T2 standard and 40%. uses advanced HEVC codec. At least 12 Member States already use Single Frequency Networks (SFN) to some extent in their DTT networks. This saves bandwidth. The report shows that some countries have not modernized terrestrial television due to its low popularity. This is the case, for example, of Portugal, which is considering stopping these emissions.
Although 5G transmission (some countries want to develop networks in the 5G Broadcast standard) is promising, it is not yet known whether there will be sufficient equipment for such transmissions on the market and whether it will prove to be profitable. Linear television as seen via terrestrial, satellite, cable and IPTV remains the preferred method of receiving older viewers. IPTV popularity will increase by 2030, when some bandwidth could be delivered. However, the viewership of traditional channels will decrease. Different countries prefer different withdrawal methods. There is no shortage of terrestrial receivers in Italy, Belgians and Danes prefer cable reception, French and Slovenian via IPTV. The level of use of the sub-700 MHz band by wireless devices (e.g. during concerts) varies from country to country.
