MUNICH—While the move for ATSC 3.0 is being pushed for here in the U.S., South Korea is already utilizing the next-gen TV standard. Broadcasters Seoul Broadcasting System, Korean Broadcasting System and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation are behind the country’s terrestrial ATSC 3.0 broadcast network and are currently relying on Rohde & Schwarz transmitters to help operate it.
THU9
In total, R&S will supply 31 of its transmitters across 11 locations in South Korea to support the network. For phase one, the company delivered its R&S THU9 liquid-cooled high-power 5kW and 2kW transmitters in customized 1+1 standby configurations to four SBS stations in Seoul at the end of 2016.
The broadcasters are now heading in to phase two, which will see all three broadcasters expand their networks to cover metropolitan areas and the Olympic region. This will see the deployment of 27 high-power 5kW and 2kW transmitters in customized 1+1 and 2+1 standby configurations, all of which will be put into operation by the end of 2017, in time to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics in UHD.
By 2020, South Korea expects to provide ATSC 3.0 coverage to 90 percent of the country.
For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.
