Ecuador begins DTT technical tests under ISDB-T standard

The Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society (MINTEL) of Ecuador has begun technical tests of digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmission.

The National Telecommunications Secretariat (SENATEL) and the Telecommunications Superintendency (SUPERTEL) have already begun to work with the main actors involved in the DTT implementation process, broadcasters, universities and manufacturers to test the DTT service under the Japanese-Brazilian ISDB-T standard.

During the second fifteen of August, the first tests were carried out in the surroundings of Quito and Guayaquil in order to evaluate the signal quality of the DTT channels. Among the tests carried out, a drive test was carried out to measure the level of intensity of the reception along a perimeter route. The measurement of various technical operating parameters has also been carried out at different fixed points in the city, where a more detailed analysis is carried out by station.

ISDB-T International Forum

Con el objetivo de revisar y actualizar la normativa técnica y operativa del estándar de televisión ISDB-T; así como de crear un entorno macro de interoperabilidad regional en materia de Televisión Digital Terrestre, Juan Pablo Puchaicela, funcionario del Ministerio de Telecomunicaciones y de la Sociedad de la Información de Ecuador, participó en las reuniones de los Grupos de Armonización del Foro ISDB-T Internacional, que se efectuó del 24 al 27 de agosto, en Sao Paulo, Brasil.

En el Foro Internacional ISDB-T se destacaron varios aportes de los diferentes países y Ecuador fue nominado por Brasil para que coordine el Grupo de Armonización del Sistema de Alerta de Emergencias (EWBS), del Foro Internacional, lo que permitirá al país consolidarse en liderazgo a nivel internacional, en materia de Televisión Digital. Ecuador realizará, oficialmente, la aceptación de la nominación, en la próxima reunión del Foro Internacional, que se desarrollará en Venezuela.

Within the framework of the Congress of the Brazilian Society of Television Engineering (SET), the Secretariat of the ISDB-T International Forum held the meeting of the Technical Harmonization Groups, in which representatives from: Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Japan, Uruguay, Peru and Costa Rica participated; as well as representatives of reception equipment manufacturers.

The ISDB-T International Forum is structured by specialized Working Groups for the harmonization of standards related to: Hardware, Middleware and the Emergency Alert System (EWBS), through which technical support is provided to countries that decide to adopt it worldwide.

The meeting constituted a space for collaboration between the countries that adopted the ISDB-T standard for the development and unification of regulations, which will promote the implementation of new services, including the Emergency Alert System (EWBS) and Interactivity.

Likewise, information was exchanged on the progress made in the DTT implementation process in different countries, the EWBS Standardization Document and common standards of the emergency alert dissemination system were reviewed. Also, the GINGA Hardware and Middleware Harmonization Documents were reviewed and updated.