‘CORE NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES’ PLANNING TEAM FORMED

Posted on April 1, 2020 in ATSC News

The ATSC Board of Directors formed another new planning team: Planning Team 8 – Core Network Technologies for Broadcast. Known as PT8, this future-focused effort is not unlike the pioneering efforts of Planning Team 2 a decade ago. The work of PT2 – Next Generation Broadcast Television eventually resulted in the world’s first IP-based broadcast standard, ATSC 3.0.

“Our Board is once again peering into the crystal ball of the future in forming PT8. Core network technologies may have a wide impact on the broadcast industry at large, especially in a world of next gen broadcasting. Like Planning Team 2 before it, Planning Team 8 provides a forum for ATSC members to study the future together, examine the potential value of core network technologies and consider future standards work,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland.

Kevin Shelby of Coherent Logix has been named PT8 Co-Chair. (The other Co-Chair will be announced soon.) Shelby brings a deep understanding of this topic, including expertise in the connections between core network and physical layer systems. ATSC appreciates the commitment of Coherent Logix to this project.

ATSC Planning Teams don’t write standards or recommended practices. However, planning team reports can be precursors to such technical work. Planning Teams are open to all ATSC members, and ATSC invites and encourages its members to join PT8 via the ATSC workspace and participate in these important discussions.

PT8 Background

ATSC 3.0 offers the potential for IP data delivery, including television and other services, which may open new business opportunities to ATSC 3.0 broadcasters, especially when those services and underlying transmission signal configurations can be easily coordinated  across multiple transmission sites (i.e., “towers”). This enables them to function as a controlled network.  The physical topology of such a network could potentially be an entire country, or it could be more regional in nature.  Additionally, it should be anticipated that different business partnerships could potentially result from the creation of associated core networks.

There are fundamental precedents in modern wireless cellular networks for core network functionality.  For example, cellular core networks enable cell towers to work in concert, creating a worldwide service that connects receivers to one another and to external data sources. Standardization of core network technology is managed enabling different instances of core networks to interoperate with one another seamlessly.

A core network that enables broadcast towers to be efficiently connected to form one or more service networks may be important or even necessary to fulfill myriad use cases, such as datacasting to the Internet of Things, Broadcast Traffic Offload, datacasting to moving vehicles, and others.

A broadcast core network may further enable convergence and interoperability with other heterogeneous networks.

PT8 Scope

Planning Team 8 – Core Network Technologies for Broadcast (PT8) will study the core network concept and consider how it may apply to ATSC 3.0 digital terrestrial broadcasting, including identifying specific use cases and commercial benefits of broadcast core network technology. The group will also investigate the applicability of other industry standards, analyze “gaps” and identify what new technical work might be undertaken by ATSC in this area, considering the guidance for new work as stated in the Bylaws. PT 8 will report the results of this work to the Board.

If technical work in ATSC is recommended, PT8 will further document rationale for the work and ideally also document possible architectural approaches and requirements, such as interoperability with existing networks, which would accommodate the identified use cases. PT8 does not draft standards or recommended practices; it may draft New Work Item Proposals and/or Planning Team Reports. PT8 reports to the ATSC Board of Directors and participation is open to all ATSC members.

Posted in ATSC News