Korean Research Institute ETRI Concludes Workshop on Cutting-Edge Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) Broadcasting Technologies in India

The Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute (ETRI), a renowned Korean government-funded institution at the forefront of innovation in information technology, communications, and electronics, concluded a highly successful three-day workshop and demonstration of lab tests on June 7, 2024. The event focused on two emerging Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies: ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast. The workshop saw larger-than-expected participation, reflecting the growing interest in D2M across the industry.

Dr. Sung Ik Park, who led the ETRI delegation, presented the outcomes of various performance evaluations of the two state-of-the-art terrestrial broadcasting systems, ATSC 3.0 and 3GPP Release-17 and Release-18 5G Broadcast. The evaluations covered aspects such as physical layer capability, network deployment, and operating costs within a mobile broadcasting environment, considering practical implementations for handheld terminals.

Key findings from the tests clearly established superiority of ATSC 3.0 over 5G Broadcast, particularly in mitigating deep signal fades and maintaining performance at higher speeds. In contrast, 5G Broadcast experienced complete signal fades at faster speeds. ATSC 3.0 also showed significantly lower capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX) compared to 5G Broadcast. The analysis indicated that deploying 5G Broadcast would require double the number of transmitters to achieve similar signal gain, yet still might not match ATSC 3.0’s performance at higher speeds.

Dr. Park highlighted that South Korea has already adopted ATSC 3.0 for its terrestrial network and is in the process of replacing all ATSC 1.0 transmitters with ATSC 3.0 transmitters.

Dr. Park emphasized that these evaluations could help the planning and implementation of terrestrial broadcast services for mobile handheld devices.

The workshop attracted a distinguished audience, including Group CTO of Network18, CTO of TV9, Principal General Manager of BSNL, Director of Samsung and Senior officers from various ministries, including Prasar Bharati, DoT, TEC, IITs and WPC.

The significant turnout and active participation from key stakeholders underscore the high level of interest and potential impact of these technologies on the broadcasting industry.