May 21, 2021 Efforts to Promote Deployment of Home Receivers for Disaster Prevention Administrative Radio for Municipal Digital Broadcasting

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) was continuously conducting a survey and study to ensure the interconnectivity of respective manufacturers’ receivers for disaster prevention administrative radio for municipal digital broadcasting. MIC’s survey and study were made for promoting the deployment of home receivers by reducing the cost of each receiver.
As a result of the recent survey and study, MIC has confirmed the interoconnectivity of home receivers produced by manufacturers other than existing manufacturers that produce receivers for disaster prevention administrative radio. Accordingly, MIC has decided to open the outline to the public.

1. Background

Each municipality has various means of information transmission, such as a system of disaster prevention administrative radio for municipal digital broadcasting, depending on the actual conditions of the area, to accurately transmit information in times of disaster, in particular.
The said system of disaster prevention administrative radio for municipal digital broadcasting can simultaneously transmit necessary information to residents orally from outdoor speakers and home receivers. Therefore, it is one of the most important means of transmitting information to residents, and the deployment of the system is underway in each municipality. In situations where it is difficult to hear oral information from outdoor speakers due to worsening weather conditions, including heavy rain or typhoons, home receivers are effective, which can transmit information to older people who do not have smartphones. Therefore, it is important to promote the deployment of home receivers.
To promote the deployment of home receivers, a study group on promoting the spread of home receivers of disaster prevention administrative radio specified the incorporating functions of a standard home receiver model (hereafter referred to as the “standard model”) in March 2018. These functions aimed to mass-produce and reduce the cost of home receivers. Recently, MIC conducted a survey and study to ensure the interconnectivity of home receivers produced by manufacturers other than existing manufacturers that produce receivers for disaster prevention administrative radio, targeting the voice communications functions incorporated into the standard model.

2. Study method

MIC conducted an indoor interconnection test between master station equipment and home receivers by focusing on the modulation mode, function, and manufacturers specified below. This test was conducted in conformity with the private sector standard (STD-T115 Volume 2 Appendix 5) of the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB).

• Modulation mode: Quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) narrow, a new digital modulation system that can be introduced at a lower cost than 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM), a conventional digital modulation system
• Functions: Voice communications function incorporated into the standard model (for batch reports, emergency batch reports, and group reports)
• Manufacturers: All seven manufacturers that have introduced a new digital mode (QPSK narrow)

3. Study results

MIC confirmed the interconnectivity of all the seven manufacturers’ master station equipment and home receivers under a specific test environment. (Note that MIC does not guarantee the compatibility of them in their actual installation environments.)
It is necessary to make operation checks in their actual installation environments. However, the study results will allow manufacturers other than existing disaster prevention administrative radio manufacturers to participate in the competitive bidding of additional home receivers procured by municipalities. Furthermore, manufacturers other than disaster prevention administrative radio manufacturers can produce home receivers that will be interconnected. Therefore, the price reduction of home receivers will be expected from the promotion of further competition.