Cross Border Interference between IMT-Advanced and DVB-T in the Digital Dividend Band

The 470–862 MHz band has recently incurred two major spectrum reallocations: the introduction of digital broadcasting (DB) and the allocation of the 790–862 MHz sub-band as a co-primary base for mobile services. While some countries have accomplished full digital switchover (DSO) and implemented DB as their platform for TV broadcasting, others are still in the trial phase. Until 2015, this sub-band will be usable for either broadcasting or mobile service; lack of coordination between neighboring countries could thus result in co-channel interference. Using a Monte Carlo method, we evaluated the minimum separation distance (MSD) and carrier frequency separation necessary to achieve compatibility. Digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) systems can be protected from international mobile telecommunications-advanced (IMT-A) systems using a carrier frequency separation of 17 MHz. Although IMT-A systems are not protected from DVB-T in this sharing scenario, coexistence between adjacent channels is ensured without recourse to interference mitigation by use of a carrier frequency of at least 15 MHz.