6.3.5 Stand-alone terrestrial transmission

There are two potential situations that have been considered for “stand-alone” digital transmission arrangements.

In the analogue world, stand-alone transmission arrangements independent of the national analogue transmission network have been feasible. These arrangements have typically involved the use of the broadcaster’s own transmission equipment on an available transmission site (such as a telecommunications tower). With digital technology there are a number of new issues to be considered.

Operation outside the established terrestrial coverage area

In such areas, the viewer would be reliant upon a satellite based service for access to the main national broadcasters. They would have either purchased a dish and satellite set-top box, or have opted to subscribe to the SKY service. These viewers would need to purchase a terrestrial capable set-top box in order to receive a stand-alone regional service.

While a number of viewers outside current terrestrial coverage will have purchased a television receiver with a built-in digital capability (IDTV), the majority would not have done so, at least until well after the DSO date.

These factors suggest that even if a separate terrestrial capability was provided in such areas it would not effectively be accessible by a significant number of viewers. Those viewers that did have a terrestrial reception capability would need to arrange their installations to receive the separate terrestrial service, with two (or three) remote controls. A single terrestrial service is not expected to give viewers strong incentive to either purchase the necessary technology, or persevere with the more complex reception arrangements.

The operation of a separate terrestrial service outside the current terrestrial footprint is therefore not considered viable.

Operation inside the established terrestrial coverage area

In such areas there can be expected to be a large number of viewers using purchased set-top boxes or IDTV capable receivers. It is therefore technically possible to transmit a separate digital service (i.e. one that is not part of the existing licences, and not necessarily from the same transmission site).

To achieve effective reception the transmission site should have comparable transmission power to the main services, and use a site that results in the same “antenna pointing” direction for most viewers’ aerials. This is not expected to be difficult, although the coverage achieved from a separate site will generally be somewhat less than achieved by the main site, which would have a more prominent location and higher antenna height.

The main issue is to ensure that any separate transmission can be tuned in by the viewer and can be easily accessed in the domestic environment. Tuning of a set-top box or IDTV should be possible, although it may need manual tuning to locate the separate service. In practice, the majority of viewers to the national broadcasters are likely to use the Freeview Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) to assess the available programmes and make their selections. All the terrestrial set-top boxes include such an EPG facility and it is recognised that this is the most convenient method of assessing and switching between programmes.

To be “findable”, a stand-alone service must therefore be listed on the Freeview EPG. This is technically possible, subject to meeting Freeview’s charges for using their services. It is also necessary to make arrangements to update the data files as required by Freeview.

As noted earlier in this paper, a digital licence can accommodate perhaps 8-10 separate services. Providing a single stand-alone service, therefore, is not a cost-effective use of a licence. While this is not a fatal flaw, it needs to be recognised by parties proposing to operate stand-alone transmission services. As some regional broadcasters have indicated an interest in converting their current stand-alone analogue arrangements to digital transmission, the following question seeks views on how these might work.

Question 30

Given the difficulties associated with stand-alone transmission in a digital environment, how could such an option work for regional broadcasters?