Options for the Joint Evolution of Digital Terrestrial Television and Mobile Internet Access

Terrestrial broadcast is traditionally realized over High Tower High Power (HTHP) networks which have been preserved in the transition from the analog PAL to the first generation of the digital DVB-T technology. The drawback of this traditional network design is its spectral inefficiency. The demand for providing more TV programs with HD quality as well as the increasing spectrum consumption of mobile internet services, with video streaming being one of the driving factors, necessitate a re-optimization of the current broadcast network and a more efficient allocation of frequencies.

In this thesis, three options for a future frequency-efficient evolution and coexistence of terrestrial TV and mobile internet are specified and investigated:

– Transition from the current terrestrial broadcast with DVB-T to its successor DVB-T2 while retaining the HTHP network infrastructure

– Switch-over from DVB-T to DVB-T2 with transition to a Low Tower Low Power (LTLP) network infrastructure

– Utilization of the evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (eMBMS) within an existing LTLP LTE network.

All three system concepts are evaluated in terms of bit error rate performance and system throughput. Additionally, coverage and total network transmit power are determined by system level simulations for different propagation models and network topologies. Although the emphasis of this thesis is on the evaluation of the performance and feasibility of the three scenarios from a technical point of view, political, regulatory, and economic considerations are addressed in short.

In summary, all three options bear a huge potential for a significant reduction of the spectrum required for terrestrial broadcast. The introduction of DVB-T2 for terrestrial broadcast is a good compromise between performance, cost, and regulation. However, its full spectral potential can only be exploited in combination with LTLP network concepts. Furthermore, this thesis proves the importance of alternative terrestrial broadcasting concepts, which are highly beneficial for a further convergence of TV and mobile internet. The enhanced multimedia service eMBMS (LTE and 5G) represents an attractive solution for replacing or supplementing future terrestrial broadcast systems, especially for the distribution of personal and regional TV content.