What's Happening to the 700MHz Band of RF Spectrum?

Tuomo Tolonen, Pro Audio  Group Manager at Shure UK, covers further detail on changes to the  700MHz space following recent announcements at the end of last year.   

At the end of November last year, the World  Radio Conference 2015 saw all major radio regulators gather to discuss  the future of spectrum and how it should be allocated. The key focus at  this year's event was the proposed reallocation of 700MHz for use by  mobile data services.

Before we go into detail, here's a brief catch-up on where we're at:

In previous years, PMSE (Programme Making and Special Events) had  access to a broad spectrum range from 470 - 862MHz. At the end of 2012,  790 - 862MHz (otherwise know as the 800MHz band) was auctioned for use  by next generation 4G mobile services. Straight away, this change  significantly reduced the amount of space available to wireless  microphone users at a time where channel counts were growing fast.

...And here's the latest scoop:

At the recent World Radio Conference the discussion centred around  what to do with a further block of spectrum from 694 - 790MHz (700MHz  band). The committee concluded that 700MHz should join 800MHz as a  dedicated space for next-gen 4G. The date for this switch is still  unclear as any digital television channels operating in the 700MHz space  need to be moved to the remaining 470 - 694 space. UK regulators, Ofcom  estimate this process could be complete somewhere between 2019 and  2022. In the interest of production values, wireless microphone  manufacturers and operators should be working to the 2019 date if  they're to ensure a smooth transition.

The prospect we're facing going forward is a world where demand for  wireless mics and in-ears is increasing, but the space available to  operate them is decreasing. The graph below demonstrates clearly how  wireless microphones will need to share a smaller amount of space with  DTV than ever before. What's critical to understand, is that this will  make operating wireless mics more difficult. To mitigate risk, we will  have to get better at coordination, and we need to utilise new  technology (such as digital wireless systems) for their spectral  efficiency.

[video=0LT3PcvKQrI]

Signing off 

We hope this instalment brings you a step closer to understanding the  latest round of spectrum reallocation. To learn more, consider  attending one of our Wireless Mastered or Wireless Workbench training  sessions.