GOING GLOBAL: International Agreement on ATSC 3.0 and Advanced Emergency Alerting

Posted on May 1, 2018 in ATSC News

ATSC 3.0 and its advanced emergency alerting capabilities are going global thanks to a landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed at the NAB Show by the AWARN Alliance, NAB and RAPA (the trade association that represents Korean broadcasters, equipment manufacturers and researchers).

The three organizations pledged to work collaboratively on Next Gen TV development using the ATSC 3.0 standard, with particular emphasis on advanced emergency alerting efforts. Among other things, the MOU calls for

• AWARN (the Advanced Warning and Response Network) and RAPA to develop and execute plans for a “global alliance on emergency alerting in next-generation TV using ATSC 3.0,” and
• NAB and RAPA to mutually promote the ATSC 3.0 standard and to share use cases, service scenarios and test results of system deployments in the new format.

The MoU also is intended to align Korean and U.S. efforts in deploying and testing ATSC 3.0 services, and harmonize the two countries’ usage of the new standard’s advanced capabilities in emergency alerting for Next Gen TV. (Television broadcasters in South Korea began transmissions using the ATSC 3.0 standard in May 2017.)

“Along with NAB, we’re honored to be engaging with our colleagues at RAPA for continued co-development of Next Gen TV, including a global alliance between the AWARN Alliance and RAPA for ATSC 3.0 advanced alerting,” AWARN Alliance Executive Director John Lawson said. “From the beginning, U.S. and South Korean companies have supported AWARN, starting with LG,” he said. Aircode and DigiCap have since joined the Alliance.

ATSC Board Member Dr. Jong G. Kim, LG Electronics senior vice president, and president of LG’s Zenith R&D Lab, applauded the MOU: “From the beginning, U.S. and Korean companies have worked hand-in-hand to develop the ATSC 3.0 standard and the core technologies behind advanced emergency alerting. Now, with agreement to share technology developments, conduct joint testing and develop best practices, this collaboration will hasten the day when this new public service becomes a life-saving reality.”

The MoU announces the formation of a joint committee among the three organizations, which will develop a plan to share information on ATSC 3.0-related activities, and facilitate joint participation in ATSC 3.0-related events.  The groups further agree to provide opportunities for testing and to create best practices for emergency alerting in the U.S. and South Korea. The best practices will be based on available social science research and input from emergency managers in both countries.

Posted in ATSC News