At the annual International Broadcasting Convention (IBC)  in Amsterdam, the EBU's Director of Technology and Innovation, Simon Fell, highlighted the importance of safeguarding access to spectrum for the broadcast of free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Taking part in "The Great Spectrum Debate" on Thursday (11 September), Simon Fell spoke alongside other representatives from the broadcasting industry reinforcing how essential access to UHF spectrum is for meeting the universal obligations of public service broadcasters and delivering free-to-air television to mass audiences.

Mr Fell told the audience that "to reach all sectors of the population and sustain a broad mix of content for consumers, access for broadcasters to spectrum below 700MHz (470-694 MHz) must be protected." This is in line with the recommendation in the EU High Level Group report on spectrum allocation to adopt a common position against co-primary allocation of this spectrum band at the ITU World Radio Conference in 2015.

"The EBU believes this will also enable public service broadcasters and the European audio-visual sector to secure investment and enable innovation in DTT platforms over the long term," he added.

The timeline and costs of transitioning out of the 700MHz frequencies were also discussed during the debate. The EBU is concerned about the release of these frequencies to other stakeholders, such as mobile phone operators, by 2022 as this is likely to cause disruption to TV services in a number of Member States.

"It is crucial to plan for a sensible transition for all parties. This will allow broadcasters and network operators enough time to co-ordinate frequencies, re-plan networks and adapt to the new spectrum arrangements. It is also necessary to give viewers enough time to adapt and ensure the necessary upgrade of consumer equipment and DTT networks," said Mr Fell.

"DTT is the most popular TV platform in Europe, reaching 100 million households and 250 million viewers," he continued.  "Broadcasters should not be financially weakened by any loss of the 700MHz band. All transition costs should be offset, including investments in new and even more efficient technologies and the expense of mitigating mobile interference of DTT reception."

The recent EU High Level Group report also recommended that because of the "recent assignments in the 800 MHz band, the 700 MHz band is not immediately needed for mobile services." It is well known that the exaggerated claims for mobile broadband growth need to be reviewed to allow a more realistic consideration of demand.

The EBU believes the proposed 2025 stock-taking exercise is an opportunity to include analysis of all relevant market and technology developments as well as demand for both mobile broadband and terrestrial broadcasting usage of spectrum. "The impact of Wi-Fi off-load for mobile data is often overlooked and yet, this is the most popular way to consume media on portable devices," said Fell.

With its Members, the EBU has formed the most innovative centre of research and understanding on spectrum, representing its Members at various international bodies responsible for spectrum allocation, including the European Union, the ITU and at the national regulatory level.