SAPPRFT: 700MHz Band Will Not Be Re-allocated in Short Term
C114, 6/24/14
Jiang Wenbo, director of the Academy of Broadcasting Planning at China's State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), recently revealed that the 700MHz frequency band will not be auctioned off or diverted for other purposes in China in the near future. The band is currently being used for the transmission of analog radio and television signals. According to the SAPPRFT's plan, China's terrestrial digital TV broadcasting network will be essentially complete by 2020, at which point China's terrestrial analog TV signal will stop broadcasting. At that time, the 700MHz frequency band will be released for other purposes.
Editor's Note: The 700 MHz band is an important swathe of spectrum for both commercial wireless and public safety communications. The band consists of 108 megahertz of spectrum running from 698-806 MHz, which will be freed up as a result of the transition to digital television. The location of the 700 MHz band, just above TV broadcast channels, gives it excellent propagation characteristics. This allows the 700 MHz signals to penetrate buildings and walls easily and to cover larger geographic areas with less infrastructure (relative to frequencies in higher bands). For more background on this topic, please see "Rumor: China Tests 700MHz TD-LTE for Rural Areas" MD 4/08/14 issue and "MIIT Allocates Spectrum for TD-LTE" MD 11/01/10 issue.
Keywords: Jiang Wenbo Academy of Broadcasting Planning spectrum wireless SAPPRFT