Frequency policy for SBS?

The government soon plans to hold a frequency band deliberation committee to allocate 700 MHz range. As analogue broadcasting was converted to digital one, the frequency of 698~806 MHz has been returned to the country. The government, however, plans to divide the 108 MHz band into a 30 MHz frequency band for terrestrial broadcasting, 40 MHz for mobile telecommunications, 20 MHz for the national disaster safety communication network and 18 MHz for guard bands. Having not been witnessed in any of the countries in the world, the plan is expected to be an unprecedented “catastrophe of frequency.”

Communication network is the national infrastructure of the 21st century. As the demand for frequency band has drastically risen due to increased national disaster safety communication network and telecommunication network, 71 countries such as the U.S., Japan and European countries have assigned the entire range of 700-800 MHz to communication network. The U.S. has sold it to a telecommunication company for 19.1 billion U.S. dollars and further plans to convert 600 MHz range that is currently used by broadcasting firms to the one for telecommunication network. Efficient use of the frequency by broadcasting companies can create some spare frequency which can be converted to the use for telecommunication.

According to Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), they would use 700 MHz range for Ultra High Definition (UHD) TVs, contending that would more agree with public interest. Only 6-percent households, however, are currently watching TVs with terrestrial channels. As most of them watch cable, satellite or Internet Protocol televisions, it is waste of frequency to allocate them for terrestrial channels for just 6 percent of viewers. It took 10 years to convert analogue TVs to digital ones and will take more than 20 years to convert it to UHD. Even Japan, the first country hurrying up to convert to UHD with its developed technology of broadcasting camera and equipment, has decided to send UHD through cable and satellite.

Having completed a year-long research with a taskforce team consisting of frequency experts and working-level people from the Broadcasting and Communications Committee of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the government published the report that says it would be better to use the frequency band for the use of telecommunication. Turning a deaf ear to experts, lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties under the pressure of terrestrial broadcasting firms are about to assign the frequency to terrestrial broadcasting network. It is concerned that the distribution of the band to five channels could seriously decrease the guard bands, which could cause communication interference. There is much talk that a high-ranking government official who previously worked for SBS has taken the lead for the interest of SBS, not for the national interest.

ysshin@donga.com