Using Layered Division Multiplexing for Wireless In-Band Distribution Links in Next Generation Broadcast Systems

To meet the ever increasing demand for better service quality and availability, the next generation digital TV (DTV) broadcast, a.k.a., the ATSC 3.0, is developed with new capabilities to deliver 4K ultra-high-definition (4K-UHD) services to fixed receivers, robust HD-quality services to mobile receivers, as well as non-broadcast services (e.g., broadband), including Internet of Things (IoT), Connected Vehicles, etc. To realize these capabilities, it becomes necessary to evolve the existing single-transmitter high-power-high-tower (HPHT) network to multi-transmitter low-power-low-tower single-frequency-networks (SFN), which requires installing new transmitters. Each new transmitter needs a feederlink to receive the service data from the broadcast gateway (BG) for transmission. This feederlink contributes to a significant portion of installation and operational costs of the new transmitters. This paper proposes a wireless in-band distribution link (WIDL) technology, where the distribution data is delivered to the newly deployed transmitters from the existing DTV towers wirelessly sharing the same TV band with the broadcast services. The distribution signal is multiplexed with service signal in the same ATSC 3.0 waveform. Layered division multiplexing (LDM) technology is proposed to achieve more efficient transmission of the distribution signal. The WIDL offers better performance and more robust operation than the on-channel repeater (OCR) technologies. More importantly, it offers the possibility of delivering backhaul data for future applications over the DTV infrastructure, such as IoT and connected vehicles. Therefore, the proposed WIDL is one enabling technology to achieve convergence of broadcast services with broadband and other wireless services on the DTV spectrum.