OVERVIEW OF INTERSESSIONAL ACTIVITES

1
OVERVIEW OF INTERSESSIONAL ACTIVITES

• Eng. Taha A. Usi
• Ag. Zonal Manager TCRA, Zanzibar
  tahausi_at_tcra.go.tz

2
Migration/Transition

• Intercessional activities are concerned with
• the process of going from analogue to all-digital
  broadcasting

3
Agenda

• Background
• Decision of the first session of the planning
  conference ? RRC-04
• Intercessional activities ? COM5/1
• The example of East African countries
• Planning considerations
• Milestone
• Challenges
• Conclusions

4
Back Ground

• ITU Council decision
• - In 2001 and 2002, The Council adopted
  Resolution 1185 and 1180, by which it agreed to
  convene Regional Radiocommunication Conference
  -RRC- in two sessions, for planning of the
  digital terrestrial broadcasting service in parts
  of Regions 1 and 3 in the frequency bands 174-230
  MHz and 470-862 MHz.

5
Back Ground cont.

• ITU REGIONAL RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE
  GENEVA SWITZERLAND (10/05-28/05/2004) (RRC 04)
• 1st session of the planning conference
• Report and Resolutions http//www.itu.int/ITU-R
  /conferences/rrc/rrc-06/index.asp
• Outlines all the work to be carried out between
  the first and second sessions of the planning
  conference. ? Intercessional activities

6
Intercessional activities

• RES. COM5/1 deals with Intercessional activities
  on the planning of digital terrestrial
  broadcasting.

PXT
RES. COM 5/1
RES
ITU STUDIES COM4/2-7
IPG
RES. PLEN/1
RPG
Rpg w/p
7
Intercessional activities cont.

• Objective
• To produce draft digital Frequency Plan for
  digital terrestrial broadcasting service in parts
  of Region 1 and 3 in the frequency bands 174-230
  MHz and 470-862 MHz. The draft plan is to be
  submitted to the second session of the RRC 15th
  May 16th June 2005

8
The example of E.A countries

• Actions taken so far include
• Carried out site surveys, technical analysis and
  confirmed suitability of transmit sites and
  accuracy of the associated parameters such as
  coordinates.
• Updated and submitted the existing analogue GE 89
  plan to the ITU for modification
• Determined the broadcast transmit sites
• Submitted to the ITU requirements for the first
  planning exercise.

9
Planning considerations

• Kenya
• No protection of other primary services in the
  broadcast frequency bands
• Protection of GE 89 channels that are already
  assigned to broadcasters plus a number of
  channels in towns/cities that may be used soon
• No protection of channels beyond channel 62
• DVB-T only in band IV and V. There will be no
  DVB-T in band III
• There is no new assignment of TV frequencies in
  band III as the band is earmarked for T-DAB.
• The planning is based on assignment planning,
  fixed reception mode and Multi Frequency Network

10
Planning considerations cont.

• Tanzania.
• No protection of primary services
• Protection of GE 89 channels is to stations of
  national coverage only
• DVB-t in bands III, IV and V
• There are new assignments of TV frequencies in
  all bands
• Band III will also take T-DAB
• There will be assignments, allotments, SFN and
  MFN fixed, mobile and portable reception

11
Planning considerations cont.

• Uganda
• Country divided into 14 zones. Economic
  activities/levels considered in the distribution
• Existing sites taken as part of digital
  requirements
• Assignment planning, fixed reception RPC 1 have
  been adopted
• Band III reserved for public broadcasting
  services providers

12
Milestone

• Information meetings aiming at sensitizing these
  countries on the activities of RRC-06 have been
  conducted in all of the East African countries
• The resent concluded East African Regulatory
  Posts and Telecommunication Organization EARPTO-
  noted that the three member state had made good
  progress on the preparations for RRC-06

13
Agreed

• Develop common proposals including the date for
  the start of the transition period for digital
  terrestrial broadcasting for East African
  countries.
• Identify possible awareness mechanisms thorough
  which stakeholders can be encouraged to
  participate in the preparations of RRC-06 and
  transiting from analogue to digital environment
• Propose common implementation strategies for new
  digital broadcasting plan

14
Agreed cont.

• These countries agreed to constitute a taskforce
  to be coordinated by Uganda. Terms of reference
  of the taskforce would include
• Formulate work plan and roles to be played by the
  various stakeholders involved in the preparations
  of the RRC-06
• Coordinate the national requirements of the three
  East African countries before submission to ITU.
  The taskforce will meet in July and September
  2005 to coordinate and harmonize the input
  requirements prior to the dead line of 31st
  October 2005

15
Agreed cont.

• All the three states should participate in ITU
  RRC related meetings
• The regulators should ensure that the respective
  governments were informed on the progress of
  RRC-06 activities.

16
Challenges

• Reaching bilateral and multilateral agreements
  between and among member states regarding Channel
  Incompatibilities that might arise.
• Submission, by administrations, in time, of
  correct planning requirements to the RRC planning
  bodies
• Maintaining compatibility among services and
  broadcasting formats

17
Challenges cont.

• Funds to institute the change
• Seamless transition
• Maintaining compatibility among services and
  broadcasting formats
• Favorable conditions for digital broadcasting to
  be introduced and developed
• All digital broadcasting calls for fully
  developed IP based multi-service networks

18
Challenges cont.

• Effective participation by Administrations in the
  IPG, RPG, Study Groups, RRC-06 and the short
  conferences after the main conference

19
Conclusion

• Administration need to consider the following
  measures
• The setting of Initial pilot schemes for players
  in digital broadcasting to gain knowledge and
  experience
• How the consumers would be sensitized into
  accepting the new technology rather than
  inherently clinging to the old analogue equipment
  just because of experience

20
Conclusion cont.

• There is need for Administration to establish
  national committees of relevant organizations to
  effectively organize the resources needed for the
  coordination of the transition
• The right of all countries should be respected.
  Hence bilateral agreements regarding
  incompatibilities among neighboring countries
  are of utmost importance

21
The End

• Thank you for your attention