The President of ANCOM, Catalin Marinescu, talked about the current stage of the strategy for the switchover from analogue television to digital television, as well as about the phases of this switchover during the roundtable organised by the Digital Communication Association which focused on the Terrestrial, Cable and Satellite Transmissions in the Digital Television Era – Opportunities and Challenges.
The President of ANCOM explained that two national digital multiplexes will be granted in the first phase of the switchover. “In order to grant these two multiplexes, we need to fulfil a few conditions, i. e. to take a few necessary steps. A first step has already been accomplished, as ANCOM has refarmed the frequencies from the GE06 plan for multiplexes, and therefore the first two multiplexes could operate in parallel with the existing frequencies, thus ensuring a simulcast period of at least one year”, the President of ANCOM emphasized.
The next necessary step will consist of the establishment of the type of selection procedure for granting the licences for the use of frequencies, as well as the establishment of the conditions and of the amount of the possible licence fees by a Government Decision, after the CNA, ANCOM and MCSI agreement on a common point of view. Then, the President of ANCOM will issue a decision on the process of the selection procedure established by the Government Decision and will draw up the Terms of Reference. Following the publication of the final form of the Terms of Reference, ANCOM will organise the selection procedure, will designate the winner and will grant the licences for the use of frequencies. In the final phase, CNA will grant the digital audiovisual licences for radiobroadcasters.
“Given all these phases, realistically speaking, we cannot hope that the winners will be designated sooner than six months. It is therefore unlikely that the first multiplexes be granted sooner than middle of the following year. Probably the Government Decision on the selection procedure will update the terms under the Strategy. However I am optimistic that by the end of this year we will succeed to complete at least the first two phases: drawing up and approval of the Government Decision and adoption of the ANCOM decision on the process of the selection procedure”, Catalin Marinescu specified.
The switchover to the terrestrial digital television involves the granting of other four digital multiplexes and the progressive coverage of minimum 90% of the population and 80% of the territory. The granting of the four multiplexes implies the same phases as the first two multiplexes. However, there is also a different initial phase, namely the set up of an interdepartmental group consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Information Society, Ministry of Culture, Cults and National Patrimony, Audiovisual National Council and ANCOM.