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back to article Outfit which will save your Freeview TV from 4G interference stands up

The UK's mobile networks, in agreement with Ofcom and the Ministry of Fun, have set up a company to spend the £180m assigned to make sure that Freeview reception isn't knocked off the air by 4G. Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited will fill the role described as "MitCo" (mitigation company) in the various consultations and …

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What about areas where 4G rollout will be a long time coming?

    I live in a small market town which remains gloriously unbathed in 3G signal. In fact, for some operators the only way to get any (even plain-old-gsm) indoor mobile reception is to use one of their picocell products. I fully expect us to be amongst the last places to get 4G coverage, if at all.

    Our market town is also in the arse-end of nowhere in regard to TV reception. The nearest transmitter is a relay but it's invisible at my end of town due to a whole forest-worth of trees in between us and it, and the next nearest is 60 miles or so away. Hence the signal is very weak and requires mast-head amplification before it's usable at all. Even then, it's still unwatchable most evenings.

    Satellite is also not an option, because the aforementioned trees are too tall to get a reliable view of the sky in the right spot. There are only a few places in town with this restriction, but it's real enough for a handful of us and we cannot really justify the massive fees requested by tree surgeons to correct it, with ongoing trimming required for the foreseeable future. Cable seems like a distant dream.

    With all this in mind, is it likely that there will be any cash left in the pot for a solution for me if the 4G rollout causes me any problems? It's not likely to be apparent until well into the rollout, probably right at the end.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What about areas where 4G rollout will be a long time coming?

      Sounds exactly like Stroud, Gloucestershire - for both phone & TV.

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    2. pig
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      Re: What about areas where 4G rollout will be a long time coming?

      It sounds to me like IPTV over a 4G data connection is your best bet for a reliable TV service.

      So 4G is likely to be anything but a problem for you.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        IPTV?

        Is there such a service? I don't see any yet.

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        1. dotdavid
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          Re: IPTV?

          I don't think there is an IPTV service that does this, but if you can get something capable of running XBMC (like a RaspberryPi) you can use the TVCatchup add-on.

          Also may be worth having a look at the TVCatchup Android app on one of those HDMI Android dongles you can get for £50 or so.

          I do think TVCatchup should sell their own set top box, it would be a big hit for a lot of people.

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        2. Zmodem
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          Re: IPTV?

          freeview is IPTV over "wimax", on some tv`s you can get the ip on screen of each channel when there is no signal

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      2. Mage Silver badge
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        Re: What about areas where 4G rollout will be a long time coming?

        LTE isn't anything like as good as Broadband, and most broadband unless Cable or Fibre isn't good enough for even one IPTV channel. What if you have 2 or 3 TVs?

        Note that the "headline" speeds are for Zero Interference, perfect signal and only one user connecting. Typically in less than 2% of mast sector area. Add ten users in one place and you may not even be able to do Youtube.

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    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What about areas where 4G rollout will be a long time coming?

      A little effort with a chain saw?? How can it be you cant use freesat, dont you like the sky or something? Use must spend a fortune on light bulbs! ;)

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  3. teapot9999
    WTF?

    Is it just us?

    Do other countries have all this hoop jumping just to roll out digital TV?

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    1. Steven Jones
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      Re: Is it just us?

      It's nothing to do with rolling out digital TV. It's all about Ofcom's intention to roll out 4G on channels which have been freed up by digital TV rollout and which will, consequently, be in the range of TV tuners. If you still had analogue TV and there was a nearby 4G transmitter on a local frequency, it could saturate a masthead preamp as well. Contrary to the impression given by the article, the masthead preamps were also required in some locations for satisfactory analogue reception (albeit that some of the early digital TV rollout used reduced power so preamps were required as a stop-gap). Generally now, if you could get a satisfactory analogue picture without a preamp, the same should be true of digital.

      The most satisfactory technical solution would be to install a masthead preamp that would respond only too the local Freeview channel frequencies. That way it would not saturate. Of course a filter stuck between the preamp and the aerial ought to do the job well enough if it is selective enoughl

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    2. Mage Silver badge
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      Alert

      Re: Is it just us?

      It's going to be MUCH worse in Ireland...

      Also the Modem or phone "jams" cable broadband or Cable TV in the same room. No filter or solution other than moving the phone / modem about 10m away from anywhere the cable, connections, setbox or modem is.

      I surprised Virgin hasn't been complaining more.

      Really the whole "Digital Dividend" idea is stupid, The frequencies 900MHz to 2600MHz allocated for Mobile are poorly used and more than enough for Mobile.

      Really future DTT services need the spectrum and the 800MHz band results in cells too large for good Cellular data capacity. The Digital dividend was based on idea of Digital only replacing Analogue, no HD, no 3D no Ultra HD, no extra channels no pay Channels.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who pays?

    I'll believe the mobile companies will pay the whole bill when I see it. Come time they've got rid of the agreed cash, what's the betting the 4G profiteers leave it to the taxpayer to pick up the tab for any further interference? No doubt the corporate lackeys at Ofcom will be happy to lighten governmental wallet in the name of making the economy bigger / shareholders wealthier.

    Apart from HD sexual gratification for Road Warriors, has anyone found a use for 4G yet?

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is that the Andrew Pinder who used to be the e-Envoy and before that the head of IT for the Inland Revenue (as was)? I was wondering what had happened to him only the other day.

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  6. Zmodem

    they will just make a tweaked DAB transmitter that can manage all HZ, and then kill off analog radio

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  7. PeterM42
    FAIL

    " LTE, ........ will be snuggled up next to Freeview"

    Well, the W*nkers thought THAT through very carefully.

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    1. Green Nigel 42
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      Thumb Up

      Re: " LTE, ........ will be snuggled up next to Freeview"

      You flatter them if you believe any thought was involved!

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