Toward a New Era of Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting The Radio Regulatory Council submitted a report in July on the revision of a part of the ministerial ordinance regarding commencement of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting. This report gives a detailed frequency usage plan and a schedule for implementation of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting in Japan. The abstract of the report is as follows. 1. Services - Digital terrestrial TV will offer HDTV as the main service and other services that make the best use of digital technology. 2. Operators - The operators broadcasting digital terrestrial TV will be the same as those broadcasting conventional analog terrestrial TV. 3. Expected number of the broadcasting networks - In addition to NHK's general service, NHK's educational service, the University of the Air Foundation and four or five private broadcasting networks per area are expected. 4. Schedule for start of service - Digital terrestrial TV broadcasting services are expected to start in the three major metropolitan areas of Kanto, Kinki and Chukyo by the end of 2003, and in other areas by the end of 2006. 5. Termination of analog TV broadcasting - Conventional analog terrestrial TV broadcasting is expected to be phased out by July 25, 2011. - VHF channels (90 - 108 MHz and 170 - 222 MHz) cannot be used for TV broadcasting after July 25, 2011. 6. Frequencies for digital terrestrial TV - UHF channels 13 through 62 (470 - 770 MHz) have been assigned for digital TV. - Channels 55 through 62 (722 - 770 MHz) cannot be used for TV broadcasting after July 25, 2012. - The usage of channel 53 and channel 54 (710 - 722 MHz) will be reviewed by July 24, 2006. 7. Frequencies for conversion of analog terrestrial TV - Some conventional analog TV channels will have to be converted to digital in some areas. The conversion will include changing the television channel set up in each receiver. - The report gives the frequency list and the offset frequency of the conversion for master transmitting stations and the major relay transmitting stations, whose current transmitting power is below 10 watts for VHF stations and 30 watts for UHF stations. - New frequency offset values and new transmitting powers for sound carriers will be used to reduce the spectrum congestion. To support digitalization of terrestrial broadcasting, NHK STRL is conducting basic research on network technology for digital terrestrial TV.