DPOs to install bandpass filters to avoid interference by 5G trials

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed the distribution platform operators (DPOs) like Tata Play, Hathway Cable, and NXTDIGITAL to install bandpass filters and Low Noise Block (LNBs) with narrowband filters to avoid interference due to ongoing 5G trials. In the ongoing 5G trials, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has observed interference in the operations of DTH/HITS/MSOs as these systems are using wideband filters/receivers from 3400 to 4200 MHz. The DoT plans to auction spectrum for 5G IMT services in the frequency band 3300-3670 MHz. In its recommendations on ‘Auction of spectrum in frequency bands identified for IMT/5G’, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had suggested that the DoT should ask the MIB to take appropriate action and sensitise the MSOs, DTH operators, and other users to ensure the use of high-quality bandpass filters operating in 3700-4200 MHz range to avoid interference from IMT stations.

Stakeholders in the broadcasting and satellite industry have also been arguing that the LNBs used in cable headends, which are typically designed for 3400-3900 MHz, would get overdriven (saturated) due to high terrestrial transmissions. This overdrive could have been prevented by the use of filters of 3700-4200 MHz but with Out of Band Emissions (OOBE) falling in the passband of filters, the interference will lead to a complete loss of signals. BCS Bureau