Fraunhofer Institute Proposes Solution for LTE Networks Sharing

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In my RF Technology column in the Feb. 15 issue of TV Technology, I'll be examining transmission alternatives for "Next Generation Broadcasting." I've listed interoperability with wireless broadband operators as a desirable feature. The "Broadcast Overlay" plan presented by Sinclair includes the capability.

Last week, at the Mobile World Congress 2012, researchers from Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin presented a new method for combining mobile LTE networks.

The LTE spectrum sharing is made possible by intelligent algorithms that control the allocation of radio frequencies in a decentralized way. Dr. Volker Jungnickel, head of Group Wireless Channels and Future Concepts at Fraunhofer, explained, "With our technology, networks can coordinate to provide access to additional radio resources in the network of the partner. With the aid of fixed rules, we can distribute signal processing across networks, so no central control is required."

More technical information, including diagrams showing how the sharing works, is available in the Fraunhofer Research News for February 2012.


Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.