Digital TV failure is dimming the rise of Ireland's broadband star

bealtine

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/14271/

30.10.2009
Ireland looks set to be a laggard in digital terrestrial television (DTT), as well as broadband, and even the EU is urging Ireland to get into gear on DTT, said Labour spokesperson on communications Liz McManus.

McManus called on Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan to address the ongoing delays in implementing DTT in Ireland as a matter of urgency following calls from the EU Commission to speed up the move to DTT.

Deputy McManus said: “The delay in implementing digital TV in Ireland is adversely affecting our ability to upgrade and improve our broadband provision in this country.

“Time and again, international and EU reports have placed Ireland bottom of the table for broadband quality, cost and provision. The move to digital TV could have a real impact on our broadband provision.”

Autumn 2009 start

In August last year, Ryan said Ireland’s digital switchover would begin in autumn 2009. Yet there is little indication anything has happened.

McManus pointed to research that indicates Ireland is languishing at the bottom the DTT table.

Five countries have completed the switch-over with a further six countries due for completion by 2010 or earlier. Of the EU 27, Ireland is one of only two countries that has no firm plans available for the switch-over to DTT and is set to miss the 2012 switch-over target set by the commission.
“The delay in implementing digital TV in Ireland
is adversely affecting our ability to upgrade
and improve our broadband provision in this country."
- Labour spokesperson on communications Liz McManus


The UK has already begun the first stages of its digital TV switch-over with homes in Wales moving to the new technology. This means viewers in the southeast of the country may no longer receive UK TV stations on ordinary terrestrial TV.

“Last May, our DTT plans were in flux after the Boxer consortium pulled out, blaming the changed economic conditions, having not signed the contract eight months after it was offered the tender. It is now six months since the latest consortium, OneVision was offered the tender and there has been no update on when a contract will be signed and where our DTT future lies.

“Yesterday, the European Commission stated that the airwaves, which will be freed up from the move from analogue TV to digital TV, referred to as the digital dividend, would make ‘broadband for all’ a reality across Europe," McManus added.

Need for speed

“The EU Commissioner for Information Society, Viviane Reding, has called on EU countries to speed up the move to digital TV, which she outlined will bring wireless broadband where high-speed internet cannot be provided efficiently by other technologies," McManus said.

“She also stated that this 'digital dividend' will offer opportunities for new operators and new services and will have a positive impact on the economy. The benefits across Europe could give be worth from €20 billion to €50 billion, according to the commission.

“The minister must provide an update immediately on whether this contract is to be signed in the near future. It is an urgent matter for Ireland's digital future and for our ability to take up on the significant benefits from the digital dividend.

“Ireland has been trailing behind in broadband provision and we must not now be left in the dark in relation to the EU-wide digital switch-over plan. I am tabling a Parliamentary Question to the minister on this issue,” McManus said.

By John Kennedy

watty

It's simple

Launch the Public Service Mux.
Forget about "OneVision" and pay DTT, it would fail anyway with over €60M in losses.
Use the Extra spectrum for Fixed Wireless Broadband.

Start licencing TV spectrum today for Fixed Wireless, as the channels used can be changed according to area and as we only have 1 or 2 UHF channels in many areas rather than UK's five Analogue channels, this is possible. Offer existing type "circle licences" with 8MHz + 8MHz and 20MHz split (An adjacent pair of channels or single channel is no use). Two national licences of 60MHz + 60MHz or one 120Mhz + 120MHz licence (preferred) after Analogue switch off. Outdoor directional Aerials only. No nomadic or Mobile. We have 900MHz, 1,800MHz and 2.1GHz and it's not even being all utilised. Any WiMax on 2.3Ghz or 3.5GHz should be Fixed Outdoor aerial type. If the Fixed users all off the existing mobile Spectrum there is no shortage of Mobile Capacity.

Subsidize roof aerial installs for Fixed wireless by €120 per household to give level playing field with Mobile which is 1/16th the performance in same spectrum. Mobile used as Fixed is wasting irreplaceable spectrum at 16:1 ratio.

Ban indoor mobile/nomadic use of any band above 2.1GHz.

Pair 2.3GHz with MMDS on 2.5GHz for UPC to add true 8Mbps Wireless Broadband to their 180k MMDS customers. (So called 21Mbps HSPA Mobile is 50kbps to 5Mbps depending on cell usage, and range, less than 5% of area can get more than 3Mbps, even if only one person connected)

The Government policy on DTT is currently the same as in 2000. It's still a failure and will remain so. DTT can't compete in Ireland with Free Satellite TV, Pay Cable and Pay Satellite. It never will. They need to roll out just the 4 to 8 free indigenous channels.

The Cush

watty wrote: »

Use the Extra spectrum for Fixed Wireless Broadband.

Start licencing TV spectrum today for Fixed Wireless, as the channels used can be changed according to area and as we only have 1 or 2 UHF channels in many areas rather than UK's five Analogue channels, this is possible.

aka The Digital Dividend.
Can't see it happening anytime soon, ComReg recently pushed a further consultation back to 2010, the Dept of Comms hasn't finalised its policy on the Digital Dividend and no revised frequency plan that we know of.

watty wrote: »

Pair 2.3GHz with MMDS on 2.5GHz for UPC to add true 8Mbps Wireless Broadband to their 180k MMDS customers.

Wouldn't UPC love to have 180k MMDS customers, all they have right now is 2,955 analogue and 78,880 digital customers (Q2/2009 numbers).
UPC suggested pairing the two bands in a spectrum consultation back in 2008 and has carried out trials, ComReg consulted on this band earlier this year and plans a final consultation on the 2300-2400 MHz band in the New Year.

iii. UPC Ireland’s current ComReg Trial which tests the offer of two-way services to our MMDS base (by using the return path in the 2300 -2400 Mhz band) would seem to support the EU’s policy objective to extend the offer of services in the 2500-2690 Mhz band to include broadband access services. The Trial, which has been hugely successful, clearly demonstrates that UPC Ireland, subject to a concession on its MMDS Licences, could offer such services to its MMDS customer base.

ComReg 08/50s

watty

They originally had 180k between NTL and Chorus. I'd guess with poor performance, poor lineup for the money and fabulous FREE lineup on Satellite and Sky's Pay Packag4 (with very little increase in Dish size) that MMDS has been dying. If a system that can have 100 MPEG2 channels is dying what hope has 30 to 40 channels of PayDTT when almost all the basic proposed PayDTT channels are free on Satellite?

Comreg consultations take forever (record is 10 years on LLU?) and often decide what ever they 1st thought of rather than what would be good for consumer or the State.

If they had a will, Reuse of TV channels in different areas is possible today. But the misselling of Mobile means there is no incentive to invest and Comreg won't innovate like that.

The "consultation" for 2300MHz has stupid pre-conditions in stone before it starts.