AMTA wants 120MHz of 'Digital Dividend' spectrum

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 30 April 2009 07:53

IT Industry - Strategy

Australia's mobile telecommunications industry has staked its claim to a large chunk of the spectrum between 520MHz and 820MHz that will be freed up when analogue TV broadcast services are closed down, saying that optimal economic benefit will be gained by allocating at least 120MHz of the available spectrum to mobile services and the rest to broadcasting.

It says that, in this scenario, the economy would be boosted by up to $10billion over a ten year period. Its conclusion is based on the findings of a study commissioned by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Assocation (AMTA) from Spectrum Value Partners and Venture Consulting. To arrive at its conclusion the consultants based their approach on similar work Value Partners performed for the Mobile Broadband Alliance in Europe, which published in the report ‘Getting the most out of the digital dividend’ in March 2008.

The authors of the report stress that it has been compiled without any bias to the mobile industry. "A conscious effort has been made to ensure that the study does not favour the mobile industry.  Therefore, when in doubt, the study deliberately favours broadcasters when defining assumptions and methodologies. As a result, we believe that the study results are conservative from the perspective of mobile operators."

The Government has been examining the question of what to do with the spectrum in parallel with its plans to migrate TV broadcasting to digital and communications minister, senator Stephen Conroy, told ACMA's radcomms09 conference in Sydney this week that the government was preparing a green paper on the digital dividend to see seek comment on issues such as the potential uses of digital dividend spectrum. "Importantly, it will ask about what potential benefits these uses provide to the Australian community and economy [and] will also seek comment on the costs of realising a maximised dividend to broadcasters, television viewers and other users of the spectrum."

Conroy added: "Significant progress has been made on the issue of the digital dividend over the past year...The Government, the Department and ACMA have also been putting together information and a framework to guide decisions on the size and allocation of the digital dividend. We have also been talking to stakeholders and getting economic and technical advice. There is still much to do but the pieces of the solution are beginning to become clear.

Access to  the Digital Dividend spectrum is only one of three key spectrum issues identified by AMTA as looming large over the mobile industry in the next few years.  AMTA CEO Chris Althaus, told the ACMA's RadComms09 Conference that Australia could not afford indecision on these issues "at a time of unprecedented economic volatility."
CONTINUED