Broadcasters’ forum writes to DoT over C-band issue

The letter from IBDF secretary general Siddharth Jain to DoT secretary (telecom) K Rajaraman dated June 15 follows one from the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) on June 8, asking for information and views from a select group of broadcasters and teleport operators regarding the government’s proposal to move Indian broadcasting from the current frequency band of 3700-4200 MHz to 4000-4200 MHz.

Opposing this proposal, IBDF said low-noise blocks (LNBs) of all receivers will get overloaded and weak satellite signals will get obliterated once high-power 5G transmissions start within the current C-Band of 3,700-4,200 MHz. A large number of channels in the 3700-3800 MHz band, including the ones using GSAT satellites such as GSAT-30, will become defunct if the broadcasters are moved to the 4000-4200 MHz band, it said.

ET has seen a copy of the letter. IBDF said the government’s plans to offer 300 MHz in the 3700-4200 band to telecom operators will impact over 100 TV channels that use the 3800-4000 MHz frequency range. It also highlighted that the planned migration of over 60 channels to safe bands above 3800 MHz has come to a naught due to a scarcity of capacity.

The apex TV broadcast body noted that issues regarding the use of spectrum up to 3670 MHz have not yet been resolved. It added that there have been sporadic instances of disturbance in broadcast services due to interference from telecom signals. The government has allotted the 3300-3670 MHz band to telecom operators for 5G service rollout.

The broadcasters had earlier sought a 100 MHz guard band between 3600 MHz and 3700 MHz for the smooth functioning of the broadcast services. The government extended the frequency band for 5G services up to 3670 MHz, notwithstanding the industry’s request. Broadcasters use the 3700-4200 frequency band for providing satellite broadcasting services.