My OperaWimax still disrupting C-band transmissions: CASBAA
Friday, May 27, 2011 3:51:59 AM
http://www.telecomasia.net/content/wimax-still-disrupting-c-band-transmissions-casbaa-0
Staff Writer | September 04, 2008
Wimax networks operating in the extended C-band are still generating signal interference for satellite operators, despite warnings last year from industry organizations that C-band coexistence between Wimax and satellite was impossible.
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) said Tuesday that reports of interference with C-band TV broadcasts by broadband wireless systems are on the rise, and that the problem would only get worse unless regulators took the problem seriously.
A CASBAA statement cited Pakistan, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji as Asian markets where Wimax towers are reportedly disrupting satellite broadcasts for pay-TV services.
The statement also cited an August 27 report from Gulf Daily News that viewers watching imported Indian TV channels via satellite were experiencing signal disruptions from nearby Wimax towers.
The issue of interference between Wimax and C-band satellite has been raging for the last couple of years. Numerous technical studies, including one released in March by the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG), have found that the two technologies cannot coexist in the C-band without interfering with each other's signals.
The Wimax Forum officially acknowledged the interference problem early last year, but has maintained that it should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, as some countries can deploy Wimax in certain situations using mitigation techniques like geographical spacing and protection zones for FSS earth stations.
Satellite players insist such mitigation techniques are unworkable because of the cross-border nature of their business. They also argue that satellite operators rely heavily on C-band for video transmission and, unlike Wimax, have far fewer alternatives for spectrum allocations.
The C-band interference issue was addressed at last year's World Radio Conference in November, in which the WRC rejected a proposal to make parts of the 3.4- to 4.2 GHz C-band available internationally for IMT mobile systems, including Wimax.
However, said CASBAA deputy CEO John Medeiros, the WRC decision was only a "partial victory" because it doesn't prevent individual regulators from allocating C-band spectrum for Wimax within their own borders.
The current spate of interference complaints is partly the result of Wimax licenses issued before the WRC decision that are just starting to go live. However, says Medeiros, few regulators are taking steps to rectify the problem.
"Malaysia has already said it will migrate its Wimax networks to the S-band, which we applauded," Medeiros says. "But regulators in Indonesia and the Philippines are still muddling through it. And unfortunately, regulators in Pakistan and Bahrain have already said they will take no action."
According to the Gulf Daily News, Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has dismissed the problem altogether, claiming that it's not their problem because the TV signals originate from another country. The TRA, as well as Zain Bahrain, which operates one of the country's two Wimax services, also rejected a report from the Transport Ministry Wireless Licensing, Frequency and Monitoring Director pinpointing them as the source of the interference, saying the results were the product of faulty test equipment.
Meanwhile, according to CASBAA's Medeiros, Pakistan authorities say that the problem can be solved technically, despite claims from CASBAA, SUIRG and others that no technical solutions exist.
Staff Writer | September 04, 2008
Wimax networks operating in the extended C-band are still generating signal interference for satellite operators, despite warnings last year from industry organizations that C-band coexistence between Wimax and satellite was impossible.
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) said Tuesday that reports of interference with C-band TV broadcasts by broadband wireless systems are on the rise, and that the problem would only get worse unless regulators took the problem seriously.
A CASBAA statement cited Pakistan, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji as Asian markets where Wimax towers are reportedly disrupting satellite broadcasts for pay-TV services.
The statement also cited an August 27 report from Gulf Daily News that viewers watching imported Indian TV channels via satellite were experiencing signal disruptions from nearby Wimax towers.
The issue of interference between Wimax and C-band satellite has been raging for the last couple of years. Numerous technical studies, including one released in March by the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG), have found that the two technologies cannot coexist in the C-band without interfering with each other's signals.
The Wimax Forum officially acknowledged the interference problem early last year, but has maintained that it should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, as some countries can deploy Wimax in certain situations using mitigation techniques like geographical spacing and protection zones for FSS earth stations.
Satellite players insist such mitigation techniques are unworkable because of the cross-border nature of their business. They also argue that satellite operators rely heavily on C-band for video transmission and, unlike Wimax, have far fewer alternatives for spectrum allocations.
The C-band interference issue was addressed at last year's World Radio Conference in November, in which the WRC rejected a proposal to make parts of the 3.4- to 4.2 GHz C-band available internationally for IMT mobile systems, including Wimax.
However, said CASBAA deputy CEO John Medeiros, the WRC decision was only a "partial victory" because it doesn't prevent individual regulators from allocating C-band spectrum for Wimax within their own borders.
The current spate of interference complaints is partly the result of Wimax licenses issued before the WRC decision that are just starting to go live. However, says Medeiros, few regulators are taking steps to rectify the problem.
"Malaysia has already said it will migrate its Wimax networks to the S-band, which we applauded," Medeiros says. "But regulators in Indonesia and the Philippines are still muddling through it. And unfortunately, regulators in Pakistan and Bahrain have already said they will take no action."
According to the Gulf Daily News, Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has dismissed the problem altogether, claiming that it's not their problem because the TV signals originate from another country. The TRA, as well as Zain Bahrain, which operates one of the country's two Wimax services, also rejected a report from the Transport Ministry Wireless Licensing, Frequency and Monitoring Director pinpointing them as the source of the interference, saying the results were the product of faulty test equipment.
Meanwhile, according to CASBAA's Medeiros, Pakistan authorities say that the problem can be solved technically, despite claims from CASBAA, SUIRG and others that no technical solutions exist.
