Qualcomm, Nokia and Finnish broadcaster Yle have completed the first live demonstration of LTE supplemental downlink (SDL) technology in a TV broadcast band.
LTE SDL has the potential to allow broadcasters to offer interactive broadcast services over tablets and smartphones without causing interference to existing digital terrestrial television services.
The technology allows media publishers and network operators to optimize the usage of available UHF frequencies. Besides LTE support, the technology is also expected to be supported in the early stages of 5G.
The European Commission has proposed to introduce more flexibility over use of the 470-MHz to 790-MHz frequency range, currently used for digital video broadcasting in the region, in light of the push to utilize the 700-MHz band for mobile services.
"As the media segment continues to rapidly evolve and ultimately require the gradual migration from traditional broadcasting towards distribution through mobile broadband networks, LTE SDL technology will be an important step towards diversifying media content publishing and distribution," Qualcomm EMEA SVP and president Enrico Salvatori said.
“LTE SDL will not only enable broadcasters to reach out to tablets and smartphones, but will also enable many new services, including contextualized and individualized advertising, on-demand TV, and mobile payments.”