GatesAir demonstrates DVB-T2 and LTE-A+ convergence

GatesAir Tower Overlay Demonstrates Over-The-Air Broadcasting and LTE-A+ Convergence

LAS VEGAS — 2014 NAB Show, Booth N609 — GatesAir (formerly Harris Broadcast), a global leader in over-the-air broadcast solutions for television and radio, will demonstrate an emerging broadcast innovation at the 2014 NAB Show that bridges over-the-air delivery to fixed and mobile receivers. Called Tower Overlay, the customer-friendly delivery model simultaneously transmits both standard over-the-air DTV signals and broadcast LTE data that allows mobile devices to decode and display high-quality broadcast content.

At NAB this week, GatesAir will demonstrate how its advanced technology can deliver DTV content to a traditional TV set and an LTE-A+ device to create a true multiscreen, over-the-air broadcast experience. This capability gives broadcasters a potential way to increase viewership, and monetize their spectrum given the rapidly growing number of consumer mobile devices in use worldwide.

“Consumer demand for high-quality video across tablets and smartphones is changing and even eclipsing traditional television viewing habits, yet cellular networks can only accommodate a certain level of demand due to significant bandwidth limitations,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO, GatesAir. “The broadcast model has always been the most reliable, scalable method for one-to-many delivery of high-quality video and audio, and the Tower Overlay model brings that same wireless spectrum efficiency to the mobile universe. This breakthrough innovation offers a compelling business case for broadcasters and mobile service providers alike, and represents GatesAir’s entrepreneurial strategy and vision for empowering our customers to take advantage of fast evolving market and consumer trends.”

The Tower Overlay model is proven to work using the DVB-T2 broadcast standard today. DVB-T2 includes Future Extension Frames (FEFs), which support the delivery of non-DVB-T2 signals inside the data stream. This opens a lane inside the DVB-T2 standard to deliver the signal type (LTE-A+) that 3GPP-capable mobile devices can receive and decode as video. Similar possibilities exist for incorporation into ATSC 3.0 and other digital TV standards.

The GatesAir solution modulates the DVB-T2 and LTE-A+ signals, using a hybrid exciter platform and over-the-air transmitters to deliver simultaneous digital TV and LTE content to all devices from a traditional broadcast tower. This potentially eliminates cellular network congestion from multiple peer-to-peer connections, and instead uses the broadcaster’s signal to deliver multi-user requested content — a win-win for broadcasters and mobile network operators.