Digital dividend: 800 MHz and 700 MHz mobile spectrum

The digital dividend: broadband for everyone

The digital-dividend debate grew out of major coverage gaps, particularly in rural areas. Extending DSL was uneconomic for providers in many regions. Excavation for cable installation is expensive, as it is when building new fibre networks.

A lack of capable internet access can leave people behind in the information society. It also matters to businesses: broadband availability is an important factor in location and investment decisions.

Broadband provides information, communication and entertainment. IPTV, internet telephony and other services have made the internet a universal medium. Additional radio spectrum can help extend coverage, but serving individual addresses also requires sites and their backhaul connections.

What is the digital dividend?

The transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television freed parts of the spectrum previously required. Digital transmission and more efficient video compression allow several programmes to share a television channel. Spectrum released for other uses is called the digital dividend. It can support broadband access in remote areas, among other applications. [4]

In Germany, the first digital dividend particularly refers to reorganising the former TV range from 790 to 862 MHz, usually called the 800 MHz band. The second digital dividend later added the 700 MHz range. These terms describe successive reorganisations of former television spectrum. [1] [2]

The number of programmes carried by one TV channel depends on the transmission system, compression and required picture quality. Subsequent spectrum availability follows from replanning broadcasting frequencies. [4]

Separate 800 and 700 MHz spectrum sketches show the paired uplink and downlink ranges of Germany's first and second digital dividends. — The entire reorganised range is wider than the paired mobile blocks shown within it. Each row uses a separate scale. Grey areas have other allocation conditions and cannot be treated as freely available spectrum. Open to enlarge.

An attractive part of the spectrum

A key aspect of the digital dividend is the released UHF spectrum's suitability for wide-area coverage. Under comparable conditions, lower frequencies can often cover larger areas than higher ones. Fewer sites may then be needed for a given coverage objective, making wide-area rollout more economical.

Available bandwidth helps determine cell capacity and achievable rates. Germany's 800 MHz award allocated each of the three successful operators 10 MHz in the downlink and 10 MHz in the uplink. [1]

Low frequencies also often offer favourable conditions for indoor reception. Actual reception depends on walls, windows, terrain and antennas. Connections can work without direct line of sight when the available propagation paths are sufficiently stable. Our guide to radio range and frequencies explains these relationships.

The spectrum auctions

Germany's auction including 800 MHz spectrum ran from 12 April to 20 May 2010. The paired mobile ranges are 791–821 MHz for downlink and 832–862 MHz for uplink. The diagram above shows the overall range. [1]

The 700 MHz spectrum was auctioned in 2015. The illustrated paired use covers 703–733 MHz for uplink and 758–788 MHz for downlink. The move to DVB-T2 HD cleared terrestrial TV from the band. The Bundesnetzagentur describes nationwide availability from July 2019, with some restrictions in border areas at that time. [2] [3]

The relevant LTE or NR band numbers matter when assessing current devices. See 5G frequencies and bands for more detail.

Technology in the UHF band

Alongside broadcasting and mobile networks, UHF spectrum has also served applications such as wireless microphones. Reorganisation therefore affected more than broadcasters and mobile operators. A microphone's permitted frequencies depend on current allocations and their conditions. The archived microphone diagram documents an earlier arrangement. [5]

Under unfavourable conditions, mobile transmissions can affect reception in adjacent or formerly shared applications. For broadcast receivers, input stages, antennas and shielding matter. Depending on the situation, protection distances, filters and coordinated frequency planning may be required. [6]

Early discussions considered HSPA+ and WiMAX alongside LTE. Spectrum awards and subsequent LTE rollout established the actual deployment. Network planning considers range, capacity, antennas and site conditions together.

Historical development and present-day context

A pilot project using former broadcasting spectrum for broadband began in Wittstock/Dosse, Brandenburg, in December 2008. It was run by Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg and T-Mobile. The Bundesnetzagentur's monitoring service identified a suitable television channel, taking local channel occupancy into account. [8]

According to the original report, the trial used an IPWireless 3G TD-CDMA system adapted for around 750 MHz. Deutsche Telekom reported about 100 trial users and rates up to 2.8 Mbit/s. These figures come from the 2008/2009 pilot. [7]

The decisions anticipated for spring 2009 are now part of the historical record. The 2010 800 MHz award and later 700 MHz reorganisation provide the subsequent technical context. The Bundesnetzagentur's frequency plan provides current usage overviews; historical predictions and trial results describe their respective periods. [9]

Historical original diagrams

English adaptations of the four archived diagrams retain their historical figures and assumptions. The newer frequency diagram above and cited sources provide technical context.

Open the original diagrams: historical assumptions and figures

English redrawing of a historical mobile-traffic forecast for 2005–2015, with bar geometry traced from the archived image and values in terabytes per month. — English redrawing of the historical forecast to 2015. Bar geometry is traced from the archived image; its source and assumptions are insufficiently documented. This is a historical forecast.

Historical simplified example: 400 MHz of analogue TV spectrum becomes 100 MHz of digital TV and a 300 MHz digital dividend. — English redrawing of the simplified historical calculation. The 400/100/300 MHz split reflects that illustration rather than a current German frequency plan or universal saving ratio.

Historical comparison assuming a 10 km radius at 700 MHz and 5.5 km at 2.1 GHz, retained as model assumptions rather than actual coverage. — English redrawing of the historical 10 and 5.5 km model radii, with insufficiently documented conditions. It uses 700 MHz, whereas the first digital dividend discussed here concerns 800 MHz. Actual range requires a site-specific assessment.

Historical wireless-microphone illustration across 790–862 MHz, with 814–838 MHz labelled free in the old diagram; current permissions require current allocations. — English redrawing of the old microphone illustration. The range labelled free refers to that historical diagram. Current Bundesnetzagentur allocations determine permitted use.

Sources and editorial review

The saved WordPress records give 5 October 2017 as the publication date and 29 December 2019 as the last modification. Older passages discuss the 2008/2009 debate. They were retained as historical context and technically reviewed during the test migration on 26 October 2026. The new diagram shows frequency ranges rather than original reception measurements.

Digital dividend