Steve Montgommery provides an update on the wireless specutrum sell-off across Europe, exploring the challenges and solutions with microphone manufacturers.
Following the widespread switchover from analogue to digital TV transmission that has started to occur throughout Europe over the past two or three years, many governments have realised a ‘Digital Dividend’ by selling off newly-vacated transmission spectrum.
Whilst this has generated revenues which have, in some countries, been reinvested in national digital infrastructure it has also created uncertainty and problems to the AV industry across the region.
A considerable amount of wireless Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) equipment has fallen-foul of the sell-off. Frequency bands that were used by this equipment have now been re-allocated to mobile phone networks and AV users have suddenly found that that their equipment cannot be legally operated at that frequency or will simply not work.
To make matters worse, there is no coherent policy across Europe that enables a single common replacement band, so touring events are forced to use dedicated equipment and often take out new licences in every country they visit.
Find out how major brands including Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Shure, Beyerdynamic, Sony and Revolabs are tackling the challenge in the full article in InAVate Active.
If you are not already registered then follow the quick sign up for your free subscription and immediate access to this article and the InAVate archive.