DVB-SH

Dish Network Testing DVB-SH

DISH Network (Echostar) and Alcatel-Lucent today announced that DISH Network will test the DVB-SH mobile broadcast technology in the United States. The ultimate objective is to validate the performance and cost-efficiency of the DVB-SH standard.

The DVB-SH standard (Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite services to Handhelds), is an evolution of DVB-H mobile television standard, and has been adopted by ICO which earlier this month launched a massive satellite to deliver mobile television direct to handheld devices across the United States.

DVB’s Peter MacAvock explains why DVB-SH was developed. DVB-SH (pdf) can be used in any frequency spectrum below 3GHz, including UHF, L band and S band, and in terrestrial repeater networks, that re-broadcast the signal (similar to Sirius satellite radio).

“Considering the global momentum of DVB-SH, we decided that performing a critical analysis of this new open standard was the right thing to do for DISH Network,” said Nolan Daines, senior vice president of Strategic Initiatives for DISH Network.

DISH Network has more than 13.78 million satellite TV customers and has a line of Digital Video Recorders (DVRs). Frontier Wireless aka EchoStar (DISH) spent $711.8 million to acquire 700 MHz spectrum on the E block (UHF channel 56), covering virtually all of the continental United States (map).

700 MHz Spectrum Winners (2008)
Source: Telephony

	Bidder	Total bids	Spectrum acquired
#1	Verizon Wireless	$9.36B	C Block open access covering lower 48/key metro and economic areas
#2	AT&T	$6.64B	B Block metro licenses in large cities across the U.S.
#3	EchoStar/DISH Network	$711M	168 E block (unpaired) licenses across the U.S.
#4	Qualcomm	$588M	E Block licenses in Boston, Los Angeles and New York City; placed sole bid on D Block public safety license (but didn’t win)
#5	MetroPCS	$313M	Single A Block license in Boston
#6	Cox Communications	$304M	14 A block, 8 B block
#7	US Cellular	$300M	25 A block, 127 B block
#8	Cellular South	$191M	14 A block, 10 B block
#9	CenturyTel	$150M	A and B Block licenses in its LEC territory
#10	Vulcan Spectrum	$112.8	$43.6 million for A Block” in Portland, Salem and $69 million for Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton

So, for everyone wondering what Echostar/Dish was planning to do with their 700 Mhz spectrum — there’s your answer. They might even supplement their mobile television service with vehicle navigation services and emergency two-way calling and messaging — like ICO.

Echostar could feed 700 MHz terrestrial mobile television transmitters from their DBS fleet. The 700 Mhz band would give them a range advantage over ICO (at 2100 Mhz), but provides less capacity (6 MHz vrs 20 MHz).