What is the 700 MHz Clearance? Discussed by The Aerial Man
Following on from our article in February, if you were lucky to be unaffected by the maintenance work that was carried out for the Mendip transmitter then you may not have noticed much. However, many may have experienced loss of reception due to this maintenance and this can be rectified by retuning your television after the works were carried out. The work was due to be completed on the 27th of February so your television should return to normal after a retune. If your television has not returned to its optimal reception settings however then it’s recommended to contact our aerial installation team in Bristol. They can advise you on the issue as well as offer a replacement aerial should you require this.
What was the purpose of this maintenance and how could we see 700 MHz used in the future? With exciting future developments on the way, could this see new technology coming into the forefront of our homes or will other methods be adopted in the future? We investigate..
The Maintenance of Transmitters Explained
The maintenance process is a risky process (especially if there is bad weather) as transmitter antennas will eventually need to be replaced and with 90% of the UK’s 80 main transmitters estimated to require engineering work to be carried out. This major maintenance work requires careful planning and execution as issues with the transmitters could affect television reception indefinitely if not carried out correctly. In February, the Mendip Transmitter, Oxford Transmitter, Salisbury, Ridge Hill and Wenvoe Transmitters had major work carried out on them (the major Transmitters in our local area.) But why was this carried out and what impact does it have on you as a consumer? Well picture quality is set to increase after the maintenance as this was one of the main reasons for maintenance to be carried out. One of the other exciting aspects of the clearance was, in fact, the preparation for 5G (however this is in the near distant future.) This is expected to be rolled out in 2020 so there’s still a lot of time for speculation but this is another reason as to why the maintenance was carried out on major transmitters around the UK. This is all very well but what does this have to do with the 700 MHz band in the future?
The Future of 700 MHz
Although Ofcom established that 700 MHz is going to be the band that is used for 5G across Europe, the UK regulator wants to investigate other methods so it’s not necessarily set in stone in the UK. It will be interesting to see the effect of recent events influencing the European and UK in regards to the band selected (as interchanging can cause interference in signals.) 5G is not offered anywhere in the UK as of yet with some trials of the technology appearing around August of 2017. The retune of televisions is a start for the switch but the final use of the 700 MHz band in the UK is still (somewhat) shrouded in mystery. This will likely become more clear as we approach 2020 and we will have more information on this. Whether this will be on the 700 MHz band or if another band will be used has yet to be seen but we shall keep you updated with any updates that we receive throughout the year.
Issues With Reception
As discussed, the maintenance of the main Transmitters should not have affected your television reception. If you found that it did however then you may require a new aerial in Bristol or a repair to be carried out then our local friendly team can carry this out at highly competitive prices. A retune should rectify any reception issues that you have so an issue could be being caused by your aerial rather than the maintenance itself. If you do have any concerns then contact our local aerial installation team in Bristol today. Alternatively, telephone us now on: 01179 679 028
