Advanced network planning for time frequency slicing (TFS) towards enhanced efficiency of the next-generation terrestrial broadcast networks

The allocation of frequencies traditionally used by terrestrial broadcasting (digital dividend) to International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) is limiting the evolution of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks for enhanced service offering. Next-generation DTT standards are called to provide increased capacity within the reduced spectrum. Time Frequency Slicing (TFS) has been proposed as one of the key technologies for the future DTT networks. Beyond a coverage gain due to additional frequency diversity, and a virtual capacity gain due to a more efficient statistical multiplexing, TFS also provides an increased interference immunity which may allow for a tighter frequency reuse enabling more RF channels per transmitter station, within a given spectrum.