On Tuesday, 30 March 2010, the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications organised the regional think tank Digital dividend – challenges and opportunities in the region, aiming at identifying the main challenges of the digital switchover and of the subsequent allocation of the digital dividend, as well as at facilitating regional coordination.
In the presence of high representatives of the European Commission and of the International Telecommunication Union, of the European bodies in the field of radio spectrum management, as well as of top executives of multinational telecom groups present in the region, the ten country taking part in the forum – Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary,FYR of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Slovenia and Romania) agreed that a harmonised approach of the digital dividend usage at regional level is entirely beneficial. Since other editions of the regional think tank would foster the regional harmonisation initiative, the participating countries agreed to hold the next edition of the forum in 2011, in Bucharest. The text displaying the meeting conclusions and the common principles of the ten participating countries, is available here.
During the first session of the think tank, the representatives of the regulatory authorities in the region emphasized the fact that the digital switchover will be a complex process, with significant economic and social implications, and that the manner of using the digital dividend will represent one of the 21st century challenges in communications. “European coordination is the key to this challenge. Only harmonised rules will enable the end-users to have access to better and cheaper digital television services and wireless broadband services, as well as to a wider range of innovative wireless services”, Mr. Pham Nhu Hai, Head of the Broadcasting Services Division within the Radiocommunication Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), stated.
“The coordination and harmonisation of the radio spectrum and of the digital dividend usage are vital, mostly at regional level, in the context in which not all the states in the region are members of the European Union and the stages of switchover are different from country to country. I am happy that we succeeded on this occasion to agree on the idea of a regional calendar for the switchover to terrestrial digital television so as to facilitate the regional coordination”, Catalin Marinescu, the President of ANCOM, highlighted.
The operators present in the countries in the region, who took part in the second session, together with the representatives of important international equipment manufacturers, who participated in the third session, all declared their readiness to provide services via the digital dividend and considered that the harmonisation of the spectrum usage, and especially of the digital dividend, is a key-factor in encouraging economic growth.
Further information is available on the dedicated webpage, here.