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Digital terrestrial television:
The search for the best multiplex

Digital terrestrial television will soon be arriving in France. Digital broadcasting has many advantages for industry professionals as well as for viewers. Sound and picture quality are much better than for analogue broadcasting and, furthermore, lower transmission power is required, meaning that broadcasting and operating costs are reduced. Digital terrestrial television will also offer a much wider choice of programmes than analogue TV.

However, there are several constraints on deployment. A new network must be created before digital terrestrial television can be broadcast. This will require new transmission towers and available frequencies, while ensuring that analogue and digital TV can run alongside each other.

This was the aim of a survey carried out by the CSA , culminating in the publication of an invitation to tender issued to digital terrestrial TV operators last July.

The invitation to tender included a published list of available frequencies that will be involved in the initial planning stage. This stage will cover 50% of the French population and around 30 transmission sites.

The CSA has identified 6 groups of available frequencies for this initial stage, where it will develop six multiplexes, or networks. Each of these multiplexes will comprise 5 or 6 channels. 33 channels will be available in the initial phase of deployment. However, two multiplexes have been reserved for public and local channels. The tender offer therefore covers a total of 22 channels, to be divided among the candidates.

Some candidates asked ATDI for help with preparing their offers before submitting them. Each multiplex will have a different remit, particularly in terms of audience and area covered.

ATDI has used the parameters provided, particularly realistic coverage diagrams that conform to the scale imposed, to draw up a model of the areas covered by 2D and 3D digital mapping. It has provided an analysis of the land and population covered, together with a comparison of multiplex performances. The candidates have thus been able to submit their offers in line with their economic constraints.

In the long term, 85% of the population should have access to digital terrestrial TV. Two new frequency groups are planned for this year. Each of them, like the first, will comprise around 30 channels.