euro news_news 15/08/2014 16:36 Page 5
N
Munich LTE
broadcast trial
okia Networks is
working with a range of
partners in the world’s
first field trial of wide-area TV
broadcasting
using a single LTE
frequency within
the UHF spectrum.
In a Single
Frequency
Network (SFN) all
base stations use
exactly the same
frequency to
transmit TV
content, which
maximises the
number of simultaneous TV
channels broadcast over a
large geographical area in a
given amount of spectrum.
According to Nokia Networks,
LTE Broadcast technology
promises new revenue sources
for operators by distributing TV
over existing mobile broadband
infrastructure. Subscribers
would be able to watch TV on
their devices without eating into
their mobile data plan and
independent of network load.
LTE Broadcast allows for a freeto-air or pay-TV service that can
be received by anybody with a
suitable device, similar to
traditional TV broadcasting.
Broadcasters and content
providers could extend their
reach to mobile users and open
the door for a multitude of
interactive services.
“Today, when watching
videos over a mobile network,
the content is individually
streamed to each user. With LTE
Broadcast the same signal is
received by many users at the
same time, resulting in more
efficient capacity and spectrum
use,” said Hossein Moiin, chief
technology officer, Nokia
Networks (above). “Spectrum
doesn’t need to be dedicated to
either broadcast or broadband,
but can be used flexibly for
both according to users’ needs.
We believe that LTE Broadcast is
a technology well suited to
distribute TV and
broadcast services
and will help us
expand the benefits
of mobile internet
to everyone while
evolving the TV
viewing
experience.”
Current LTE
Broadcast
applications focus
on delivering media
content to contained locations,
such as stadiums and concert
halls, over limited periods of
time. The Munich trial is the
f