Australian Spectrum Sale Could Be Delayed, Delaying Mobile TV

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has told a Senate estimates hearing that it was waiting for a government announcement before releasing the sales documents for the upcoming auction of spectrum, which is ear-marked for mobile TV services, reports the Brisbane Times. The sales documents were meant to be released mid-May, and the delay — or more accurately, the unknown cause for the delay — will affect the level of interest of potential bidders for the spectrum. Martin Farrimond, General Manager Mobile TV for Broadcast Australia (one of the interested parties) told MocoNews the company is now “waiting for clarification over what came out of the senate estimates”. The company is running another technical trial of a DVB-H service with Irdeto and Thomson Grass Valley. The new trial is to test a different DVB-H platform, and Farrimond said that there will be other trials if time permits. It has been suggested that mobile TV in Australia could cause interference with regular TV, but Farrimond is convinced that any potential interference can be managed with the right technical solution.

Neither the ACMA nor Communications Minister Helen Coonan revealed details behind the hold-up, and the Brisbane Times quoted the opposition Labor party as saying that the Government is deciding on the future of community television station 31, and may rule that one of the two channels being auctioned must carry the not-for-profit station, which would reduce its commercial appeal. Both Broadcast Australia and incumbent telco Telstra have downplayed their interest in the auction.

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