On 14 June 2007 the Government issued a decree on the frequency plan for television and radio broadcasting and licensed television broadcasting (680/2007). The decree includes provisions on the number of television-, radio- and mobile networks, radio spectrum to be used for the operations, and on certain technical issues. A detailed listing on the spectrum for television- and radio broadcasting (radio frequency allocation plan) is attached to the decree.
Due to the rapid development in the sector the decree and the related radio frequency allocation plan are regularly updated. The most significant changes proposed at this point are related to the use of spectrum released from analogue television broadcasting within the UHF and VHF frequency bands (sections 3 and 7 a).
At the moment the frequency band has unused capacity that could be utilised for conventional television broadcasting, for wireless broadband services, and for test broadcasting high definition television, for example.
In terms of technology, the so-called high band of the UHF band, i.e. 790-862 MHz, would be particularly suited for providing wireless broadband services. This type of usage would be supported by the growing need for mobile spectrum, and cost-efficiency of a network intended for service provision particularly in sparsely populated areas.
It is also proposed that the provision concerning the multiplex meant for the use of public digital television broadcasting by the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE (section 3), and paragraph 2.1. of the appendix, be amended. The validity of the provisions on safeguarding the receiving station of the international organisation EISCAT is also proposed to be changed.
