A spectrum of opportunities

The digital switchover has been hailed by some as a broadcasting milestone of greater importance than the introduction of colour TV. And while it lacks the razzle dazzle of the colour revolution - there is no moment comparable to Dorothy first setting out on the Yellow Brick Road - the government’s plan to turn off analogue transmissions and transition all televisions in the UK to digital-only receiving devices by 2012 could have a major impact on technology, the economy and society in general.

Research conducted by regulator Ofcom has found that already 90 per cent of UK homes have at least one television or set-top box capable of receiving digital broadcasts.

Once the analogue-digital transition is complete, Ofcom anticipates auctioning off the freed-up radio spectrum in 5MHz lots. This is likely to happen around 2010. Telecommunication firms will then begin muscling into position to own a portion of these highly valuable frequencies.
The spectrum of this so-called ‘digital dividend’ is particularly attractive because it is in the sought-after UHF (ultra-high frequency) band in the frequencies 470-862MHz. The 800MHz range is likely to be divided among three UK mobile operators, while the use of the rest of the spectrum remains speculative.