RRC-06 and beyond... [digital terrestrial broadcasting]

The ITU Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06) to be held in Geneva in 2006 will develop frequency plans for digital terrestrial broadcasting in the frequency bands 174-230 MHz and 470-862 MHz. The original objective was simply to replace the 1961 Stockholm Plan with a new plan optimised for digital broadcasting in the European Broadcasting Area. However, the planning area for RRC-06 has been extended to include Africa and parts of the Middle East. Few participants in the 1961 could have imagined that their work would still be valid more than 40 years later. The EBU has provided the software that is used by the ITU to generate the RRC-06 plan. Is there any hope that the new plan will last for 40 years? How will it cope with the accelerating pace of technological change? Will the "digital dividend" be quantified at RRC-06 - and how can it be used? In summary, the prospects for the success of RRC-06 has been discussed in this presentation.