Satellite trucks used by TV stations do not use the frequency bands that the government has reserved for the development of 5G mobile networks, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The commission is in the process of preparing the frequency bands for the launch of 5G services, and it plans to issue 5G licenses next year and have services up and running in 2020.
A report by news Web site Storm Media yesterday said that the commission asked Sanlih E-Television, Videoland and TVBS to switch from the 3.4 Gigahertz (GHz) to 3.6GHz band to different frequency bands for satellite transmission, because it plans to use the frequencies to develop 5G and wants to avoid interference by other systems, enraging the TV operators.
“Satellite trucks use the Ku band for transmission and do not use the band from 3.4GHz to 3.6GHz,” the commission said.
“We are studying experts’ views before presenting our policy proposal to the Executive Yuan, which is to finalize the use of the nation’s frequency bands,” it said.
The Ku band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave frequency range between 12GHz to 18GHz.
Countries have identified several frequency bands for the potential development of 5G, including in the lower range (below 1GHz), medium range (1.6GHz to 6GHz) and higher range (above 6GHz), the commission said.
Because 5G requires extensive coverage and must be able to handle high transmission volumes, frequency bands in all three ranges must be used.
Frequency bands in the medium range have the advantage of broad coverage and can handle high transmission volumes, the commission said, adding that they are more developed than other frequency bands.
Frequency bands in the medium range are used by different system operators, so the commission must take into account possible interference between different systems and find the solutions ahead of time, it said.
“Switching to different frequency bands is not the only solution. Operators can install noise filters and try to keep each other apart through guard bands,” the commission said, adding that it would solicit views from existing users of medium-range frequency bands.
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