Broadcasters cite 5G interference as guard band gets narrower | Business News,The Indian Express

Broadcasters had earlier told the government that they would require a minimum guard band of 100 MHz from the 3600 MHz frequency band and start their services from 3700 MHz.

Broadcasters had earlier told the government that they would require a minimum guard band of 100 MHz from the 3600 MHz frequency band and start their services from 3700 MHz. “The 100 MHz guard band is absolutely crucial for the broadcasting industry. It gives us enough cushion to avoid any interference by telecom signals and ensures that our services keep running unhindered,” an executive from the broadcasting industry said, requesting anonymity.

Amitabh Kumar, Head of Technology & Broadcasting at Zee Network, said, “Satellites use the frequency of 3700-4200 for broadcasting. Before the 5G services began, the entire spectrum between 3600 Mhz and 3700 was left open as guard band.” But the recent 5G allocation, he added, stretches up to 3670 Mhz. Now, it has been left to the distribution platform operators (DPOs) to take care that they are sufficiently protected from the interferences from the 5G services as the mid-band transmissions are very close to the downlink frequencies, said Rajiv Khattar, former President of Projects at Dish TV. Currently, the telecom companies have been given frequencies in the range of 3630 Mhz, and shortly frequencies up to 3670 will be used for the 5G services. The downlink of the TV signals starts at 3700 Mhz, so the likelihood of interferences is high, Khattar added.

Bandpass filters are a critical device to mitigate the risk of interference. The Telecom Engineering Consultants, which is the technical wing of the Department of Telecom (DoT), has released the generic specifications of the bandpass filters that will help address possible interferences.

But presently, there is no indigenous manufacturer of bandpass filters and the demand will have to be fulfilled by imports. It will be well worth it if the government extends some financial incentives to DPOs from the spectrum auction earnings in the procurement of bandpass filters, else the broadcast stakeholders will have to make substantial investments in procuring bandpass filters, Khattar says.

Not having a 100 MHz guard band could disrupt the operations of a number of TV channels that operate below the 3800 MHz frequency band. According to the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), an industry body of broadcasters and cable TV operators, there are close to 200 channels that operate in that frequency range. These include some channels owned by Sahara and some other news channels, among others.

https://indianexpress.com/article/business/broadcasters-cite-5g-interference-as-guard-band-gets-narrower-8266693/


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