Fairfax seeks broader
datacasting trial
SYDNEY, July
1, 1999 — John Fairfax Holdings Limited
[ASX:FXJ], in a submission to the Australian
Broadcasting Authority (ABA), has recommended
that the duration of trials for datacasting be
extended to up to six months.
The ABA had
initially signalled a three-month trial, but has
invited comments before a final decision on this
issue is made.
Fairfax
confirmed its interest in conducting datacasting
trials in Sydney, Canberra and Newcastle. In its
comments to the ABA, Fairfax supports the
allocation of full 7MHz channels for the trials.
Fairfax also asked that any channel changes
during the trials be held to a minimum.
"The ABA
has set out a strong working framework for the
datacasting trials," said Nigel Dews,
Director, Interactive Businesses, for Fairfax.
"We believe that with a longer test period,
datacasters will be better able to assess the
technology and the services that will prove
winners with consumers. A solid test is critical
to the emergence of a viable datacasting
industry."
For further
information, please contact
Nigel Dews,
Fairfax (02) 9282 2268
Bruce Wolpe,
Manager, Corporate Affairs (02) 9282 3640
Fairfax’s
comments to the ABA follow:
Text of Fairfax’s
comments to the ABA
Fairfax
Datacasting Trial Submission
Fairfax welcomes
the proposed allocation of spectrum for a
datacasting trial as an important step in
enabling Fairfax and other prospective
datacasters to test and demonstrate the potential
of digital technology for data related
applications in the broadcasting services band.
Fairfax is enthusiastic to add an innovative and
diverse range of datacasting services to its
electronic business portfolio and is consequently
interested in participating in the datacasting
trial.
Fairfax has a
number of comments and suggestions in response to
the issues raised by the ABA in its Draft
Regulatory Policy on Digital Datacasting Test
Transmissions ("Policy"). These are
outlined below.
Available
Channels
Geographic
areas
Given
Sydney’s commercial importance and
challenging terrain, the proposed availability of
a 7MHz channel in Sydney for the trial is most
attractive to Fairfax. Fairfax is also interested
in trialing its datacasting services in Canberra
and Newcastle. Obviously, the extent to which
Fairfax is able to conduct a trial in a
particular area is dependant on a number of
factors including trial costs and the ability to
secure suitable transmission arrangements.
Channel
size
As previously
indicated, Fairfax considers that only full 7MHz
channels are commercially suitable for
datacasting and thus a trial of 6MHz or smaller
channels would serve little purpose. This is
because set top boxes (STBs) for free to air
television will be designed to receive 7MHz
channels only. The datacasting services which
Fairfax envisages providing are unlikely to be
commercially viable if consumers cannot receive
them on the same STB as they receive free to air
television.
The need for a
full 7MHz channel does not discount the
possibility that a number of datacasters might
combine their services on a 7MHz multiplex,
similar to the way digital TV is provided in the
UK.
Channel
power
We note that the
chosen channel for the Sydney trial, UHF 29, is
restricted in the Draft Digital Plan for Sydney,
Newcastle, Wollongong and Canberra to 10kW
effective radiated power (ERP) in order to avoid
co-channel interference with analogue SBS
services in Lithgow and Nowra North. To provide
data on the need for this blanket restriction and
to allow Fairfax’s datacasting trial users
to be selected from a range of geographic and
socio-economic groupings, we would like to test a
range of power levels and the deployment, if
necessary, of a non-omnidirectional antenna.
We would
appreciate the ABA’s confirmation that this
will be permissible during the trial.
Changes
in channel allocation
We also note
that the ABA has reserved the right to alter the
channels to be made available for datacasting
test transmissions "at any time prior to the
commencement of the trial". While Fairfax
appreciates the need for flexibility while
digital channel planning is in train, it must
also be recognised that datacasting trialist will
be undertaking expenditure based on the
ABA’s allocation of channels. These plans
ought not be disrupted at a late stage unless
there are compelling reasons to do so. We would
urge early consultation with trialist should the
possibility of channel changes arise.
Duration and
timing of trial
Fairfax would
prefer that there was greater flexibility in the
timing and maximum period of each trial. In
particular, we would like the ability to conduct
its trial in a staged manner to enable us to test
the various elements involved in a meaningful
fashion. This is common in trial of new
communications services.
The first stage
would involve testing the purely technical
elements of the service (at the transmission and
platform layers) with a handful of trial
participants. This stage would last 4 - 6
weeks and we envisage commencing it in November
1999.
The second stage
would add further content elements and focus on
the utility and usability of the service from a
commercial and technical perspective, including
such issues as the application interface,
platform and set top box stability and user
habits. This would involve a greater number of
users and a more extended period. Ideally,
Fairfax would like to conduct the second stage
for 4 - 6 months commencing February 2000.
In requesting
more time than proposed in the Policy, Fairfax is
concerned to ensure that these trials provide
potential new entrants with a genuine opportunity
to assess both the technologies and services
which may become available. Australia’s
peculiar regulatory arrangements impose unique
constraints on datacasters and these trials
provide a critical opportunity to begin defining
and developing service concepts which may not
have been offered elsewhere in the world. Given
this, it is important that trial users have the
opportunity to gain sufficient experience in
using the services to provide valuable feedback
to trial datacasters. In response, datacasters
may wish to revise and adjust the services
offered based on user response. In our submission
it is important that the trials can continue for
a sufficient period to allow this progress to
occur.
Other Issues
Licence
fees
Fairfax’s
understanding of the scientific apparatus licence
fee structure is that a datacasting trial
apparatus licence for the Sydney area would cost
approximately $3800. We would appreciate it if
the ABA could confirm the amount of the relevant
licence fees.
Technical
considerations
Fairfax is
currently in the process of making arrangements
regarding use of existing towers or a rooftop
location in close proximity to existing
broadcaster main transmitters for its datacasting
trials. We are happy to update the ABA on this
issue as these arrangements progress.
In the second
stage of the trial Fairfax proposes to provide
the datacasting trial transmissions to
participating consumers in their homes and
intends to obtain appropriate set top boxes which
will be provided to consumers for the term of the
trial.
******************
Note
to editors
John Fairfax
Holdings [ASX:FXJ] is Australia’s leading
publishing group. Its mastheads include The
Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial
Review, The Age, The Sun Herald, and BRW.
In addition, the Company publishes financial and
consumer magazines, and provides online services.
In 1998, the Company had revenues of over $1.1
billion.
Fairfax
Interactive Businesses (FIB) includes
Australia’s leading news sites (smh.com.au,
theage.com.au, and afr.com.au) and financial
sites (tradingroom.com.au and
MoneyManager.com.au), the major car supersite
(drive.com.au) and fairfax@market,
Australia’s leading classifieds.
Fairfax launched
SOLD.com.au, a major online trading and auction
site, on June 29.
FIB also
includes CitySearch.com.au, Australia’s
biggest online city guides, and Big Colour Pages,
the only complete national Internet and print
directory in the country.
Fairfax is
Australia’s leading content provider on the
Internet, with about 1 million page views, and
more than 150,000 site visits, per day.
