4G or not 4G? Not if the transmitters tamper with TV signals

And there was me thinking that there was some body to oversea the usage of the waves, as what’s to stop some Tom, Dick or Harriet broadcasting on whatever frequency they like. Guess maybe there should be one, as heaven forbid somebody interfering with emergency channels.

This is the first I’ve heard of this potential problem and I am pretty cheesed off by it. We live close to a water tower that is peppered with spikey poles and beaming things [I’ve no idea what they are but I guess they’re to do with mobile communications in some form or other]. Our TV reception has been much better since we switched over to digital freeview last year but now there is the prospect of a return to the dark ages with hiss, crackle and fade. I bet there’ll be houses on the fringes of the free filter zones which get a degraded picture but can’t have a free filter. And what about if you buy an additional TV some years later? – Will the mobile company still cough up a free filter?

End of June now, and nothing has changed. The Press are starting to get interested, too – eg today’s Independent.

Why aren’t Which? campaigning on this? Why should the usually fairly affluent 4G users be subsidised by the usually much less affluent (and often elderly) Freeview users?

This is a mobile phone issue, caused directly by the mobile phone companies, and on the polluter-pays principle they should be paying to resolve it.

And since this affects anyone living within a 2km radius of a 4G transmitter (more than 2 million people according to the Independent) huge numbers of us are going to lose our TV reception.

As I said, why isn’t Which? getting properly involved? It campaigns on far less important issues than this at the drop of a hat!

There is no cable in my area, and satellite dishes may be affected by neighbouring trees. As the State will be charging telecommunication companies large sums of money to use the 4G system, the State should set aside money to resolve all problems concerning freeview reception. Most freeview users are probably old or poor, and are unaware of this potential problem, despite the increasing number of articles in the media. WHICH needs to highlight this matter in an article ASAP, and then ensure that it is reprinted in the general media. There are only 8 comments on this WHICH conversation, this only highlights the lack of interest on this matter. As such, the Government can safely ignore this subject. An online petition or a campaign to gain the support of M.P.’s and pensioner organisations might also be useful. APATHY may prove to be very expensive for freeview users.

How can I find out if my freeview signal, suplied by Crystal Palace transmitter, will be affected by 4G signals?

I’m about to upgrade my freeview PVR to a YouView PVR but if 4G will interfere with freeview signal it wouldn’t be a wise move.

I find mellis’ comment that it’ll affect anyone living within a 2km radius of a 4G transmitter hard to believe as that would cover most of the population living in towns and cities, wouldn’t it?

From Which?, Keith (http://www.which.co.uk/news/2012/07/government-pledges-additional-funds-for-freeview-4g-filters-290960/):

It’s now clear that 900,000 households living within a 2km radius of any 4G phone mast can expect to have interference to their Freeview TV signals.

The government has now confirmed that while they expect most TV viewers will be able to solve problems by fitting a filter themselves, some homes will require an engineer to install the filter. In such cases the government has pledged that vouchers for up to £50+VAT will be provided to pay for the installation.

In the very limited number of cases where filters cannot improve the TV service, assistance will be provided to switch to free-to-view satellite (Freesat) or to cable TV. Extra support will also be offered to vulnerable consumers.

Consumers who are eligible for vouchers to pay for professional installation include anyone who lives in a block of flats, or those who have masthead amplifiers, both of which require professional installation.

Which? welcomes this announcement but notes that only one filter will be provided free-of-charge to households. The many homes that have two of more TV sets will still have to pay to secure additional filters leaving them out-of-pocket through no fault of their own.

Consumers will additionally have to suffer the inconvenience of installing filters themselves or arranging for an engineer to do this for them. Clearly there is more that government could and should do here to allay homeowners’ worries.

I understand that even before 4G has been rolled out avross the UK, an even more advanced system 5G is being developed. However, a recent media article suggested that this could cause even more interference for digital terrestial aerials.
Is this correct, and if so, will it spell the end of TV aerials as we know them?
Will we have to move onto sateliite dishes or cable?

Apparently it’s going to happen again in 2019. Ofcom have just given permission to sell off another band of frequencies, which just happen to clash with some freeview signals, to mobile phone companies.

Time to scrap Ofcom me thinks.