RTBF DTT platform adds services
Public service broadcaster RTBF, which serves the French speaking community in Belgium, is adding two new programme services to its DTT platform. The services are TV5 Monde and Arte, which will be added in March 2009.
The DTT platform currently provides four television programme services La Une, La Deux, La Trois, and Euronews and five radio services La Premičre, Vivacité, Musiq3, Pure, and Classic 21.
Analogue switch off will be completed by the 30th November 2011 in the French speaking part of Belgium and by the 3rd November 2008 in the Flemish speaking part.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 3rd November 2008



ASO on the 3rd November as Flanders prepares to invite tender applications
The date for the Analogue TV service switch off in Flanders has been set as the 3rd November 2008 and an information campaign has been launched.
One of the sources of information is the website Wegmetsneeuwopjetv.be.
Belgium is a highly cabled country, at the present and only 60,000 TV homes completely rely on Terrestrial Television although a further 80,000-160,000 homes use it for secondary sets or as a dual use service.
The Flanders government has also announced plans to launch a tender for the remaining digital multiplexes
VRT already has 1 DTT multiplex allocated and 6 additional DVB-T and 1 DVB-H multiplex will soon be released for tender although no dates have been announced so far. The official announcement will be made in the Belgium national newspaper Belgisch Staatsblad.
The government intends to issue a single licence for all the multiplexes to one licensee according to Broadband TV News.
Main source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 27th October 2008



Two bidders for VRT network
TDF and Norkring are the two remaining bidders for VRT’s transmission network and have both been asked to make their final bids by the middle of September.
Originally five companies expressed interest in owning the VRT public network, which is being auctioned by the Flemish government to make DTT competition possible.
Future services on the network are expected to include DVB-H as well as DVB-T services.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 22nd August 2008


Five companies interested in VRT network
Media reports have suggested that five companies are interested in purchasing VRT, the Flemish public service broadcaster, reports Broadband TV News.
The potential bidders are believed to be Belgacom, Telenet, TDF, Mobistar and Macquarie.
Initially the successful bidder would only be allowed a minority stake, which would then be allowed to increase gradually to 75% minus 1 share. The remainder would be sold to the Flemish government.
Analogue switch-off in the Flemish-speaking community is set to take place by the end of 2008. However, the national communications regulator, BIPT, has taken steps to nullify these switch-off plans as reported previously.
According to the BIPT, the power to decide frequency allocation and usage should be taken by the BIPT and not the Flemish government.
Main source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 28th April 2008



Belgium Telecom Regulator opposes Flemish ASO plan
The Belgium national Telecom Regulator BIPT has asked the Supreme Court to declare the Flemish analogue switch-off plan null and void according to Broadband TV News. The plan is to switch of all analogue transmissions to make way for more DTT multiplexes.
The dispute centres on the competence and authority to regulate and assign frequency allocations within the country. Whilst the Flemish and Walloon governments regulate broadcasting in each part of the country, BIPT says that only it is competent to allocate the broadcast frequencies. If the Supreme Court agrees with BIPT then the recent Flemish plans for DTT are likely to be delayed.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 4th March 2008


VRT to sell tower and transmitter network
Flemish public broadcaster VRT, is to sell its terrestrial transmission network to a private company, so that it can comply with the Governments analogue switch over policy.
The policy, that an independent operator owns the DTT network, is seen as a means to encourage the introduction of commercial DTT and DVB-H services in the Flemish part of Belgium. 
At present only VRT services are available on the Flemish terrestrial platform.
Although most Belgium’s rely on the cable network for their TV services it is estimated that 60,000 households still depend on the terrestrial platform for primary TV viewing.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 26th February 2008


Walloon DTT services launched
Public services broadcaster RTBF has now launched its DTT services in the French speaking part of the country, according to Broadband TV News.
The new multiplex offers four TV channels; La Une, La Deux, La Trois, Euronews as well as five RTBF radio stations. The French language offering is expected to be increased following analogue switch off in 2011.
VRT already broadcasts a single DTT multiplex in the Dutch speaking northern part of Belgium. Commercial broadcasters are also expected to gain access to new DTT multiplexes in the coming years according to Broadband TV News.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 27th November 2007


New DVB-H trial for Brussels
RTBF (the public services broadcaster) has announced that it plans to test DVB-H services in the Brussels region using TV frequencies already allocated by the government, for DVB-H in the French –speaking community of Belgium.
The trial will test the technical requirements for DVB-H, needed to cover the French–speaking region and offer current RTBF programme services, as well as specially developed material tailored for the mobile service.
DVB-H services have already been tested in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium.
Source: Le Soir
Item added: 18th September 2007



Digital switchover plan approved
The government of the French-speaking community in Belgium has approved the Strategic plan for Digital Switchover presented by the Minister of Culture.
The plan calls for analogue TV service to be switched off by November 2011.
Mobile and portable television are key objectives in the plan, providing something that the extensive existing cable services cannot.
The plan also favours the cable platform for the provision of fixed TV services and would like to ensure that the DVB-T signals can be received on portable TV’s and that a DVB-H service is launched in 2008.
HD services are unlikely to be made available on the DTT platform according to the plan.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 30th July 2007

Flemish analogue switchover in 2008
The Flemish speaking community in Belgium will switch completely to a “DTT only” platform at the end of 2008 according to a government announcement. Belgium is a highly cabled country with 97% of the population using cable systems to access television programmes and it is thought that only 60,000 homes still view over the air TV, only. A further 80,000 to 180,000 homes access TV using both cable and over the air TV.
At present VRT is available over the air whilst VTM and VT4 are distributed via cable and satellite. After analogue switch off, all will be available on the DTT platform and licences will also be offered to commercial broadcasters. Mobile TV using DVB-H is also expected to be used later according to Flemish minister of media, Geert Bourgeois.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 5th March 2007


Government issues digital switchover roadmap
The government for the French-speaking community of Belgium has issued its roadmap for digital switchover.
As part of the roadmap, the public service broadcaster RTBF has been allocated the following:
- 2 analogue channels to continue broadcasting its two analogue services until 2011
- 1 DVB-T multiplex with nationwide coverage as of 2007 (a second DVB-T multiplex is available for additional services, however, it will need to be returned following a transition to MPEG-4 AVC)
- Half of a DVB-H multiplex
- Additional capacity will be made available should it be deemed necessary for RTBF to provide HDTV or regional services.
While the roadmap has not established a date for analogue switch-off, the broadcast regulator CSA has recommended an early switch-off and reminded the government that analogue switch-off will take place in the Flemish-speaking community in 2008.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 5th December 2006

CSA seeks guidance from government on digital dividend
The broadcast regulator for the French-speaking Community, CSA, is seeking guidance from the Belgium government on how to use frequencies allocated to Belgium in the Geneva 2006 Plan.
It has proposed three models on how the frequencies could be used:
A mixture of DVB-T and DVB-H services with the public service broadcaster, RTBF, serving as the network operator.
A mixture of DVB-T and DVB-H services with one or more parties serving as the network operator.
The provision of DVB-H services with one or more parties serving as the network operator.
In all of these models, services would be provided by both public service and commercial broadcasters.
The CSA recommends that the government also provide guidance on the frequencies available for the French-speaking Community and open a tender for the designation of a network operator.
Source: CSA website (translation courtesy of Digitag)
Item added: 11th July 2006



Belgacom calls for simplified DTT licensing
The leading Belgian telecommunications operator, Belgacom, has called for the government to provide clarity on the DTT licensing procedure.
At present the two differing language communities are individually responsible for issuing DTT licences. Belgacom would like the adoption of a more open model and calls for discussions between interested parties, including broadcasters and the government.
Belgacom also supports DVB systems for the provision of television services to mobile devices.
Source: Digitag and De Morgen
Item added: 7th February 2006


Belgium Update
In July 2003 regular DVB-T transmissions started with one multiplex in the Antwerp region. In May 2004 the DVB-T network was extended to cover the whole area of Flanders with one multiplex for outdoor reception. In some large towns portable indoor reception is now possible. Coverage in Flanders is reported to be 100% as of May 2005.
An analogue switch-off date of 2010 might now be realistic.

In the French Community two DVB-T transmitters in the Brussels area are in operation. The plan is to extend the network to the whole of the French Community by the end of 2007.
Source: European Radiocommunications office and additional direct inputs
Item added: 18th October 2005


DTT Plans for Belgium Announced
Belgium has decided to spend 3 million Euros on new transmitters for its terrestrial network to replace the existing infrastructure which is 15-20 years old.
Rather than continuing with an analogue network Belgium will take this opportunity to switch to a digital platform which should cover 90% of the country by the end of 2006.
Belgium is a heavily cabled country with 90% of households already connected. The new DTT service is intended to be receivable on simple rod antennas and should allow cheap installation of DTT set top boxes.
Some Freeview services will also be available.
RTBF will initially broadcast 4 TV channels over its multiplex. This will be extended later.
Source: Dataxis
Item added: 27th June 2005, Barry Tew

Recent

The DVB-C pilot trial on the cable system in Flanders, was completed at the end of 2004 and it is hoped that a full IDTV service will start soon.

The trial, was not just about digital television but also concerned with interactive services.
Now ADB report that they have won an order to supply Telenet, Belgium's largest broadband cable service operator,(operational in Flanders), with digital interactive cable set top boxes.
The boxes incorporate Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) middleware from Osmosys, providing Telenet with an open standard platform.
In Belgium cable is the dominant platform, making this development very significant.

Belgacom (a Telco company) has a trial running with IPTV over ADSL/VDSL and is planning to launch a commercial service during 2005.


Background

A DVB-T/ADSL pilot trial by both public broadcaster VRT and Telco Belgacom began in April 2002 from the Schoten transmitter in Flanders.
100 households were loaned sophisticated DVB-T Set Top Boxes with hard disc storage, ADSL modems and interactive capability. The project was finished on June 30th 2003 and the experience gained was used on an an interactive cable trial using DVB-C with MHP that lasted until the end of 2004.

From July 2003 regular DVB-T transmissions started with 1 multiplex in the Antwerp region. In May 2004 this was extended to cover the whole Flanders area.  For the French Community 2 DVB-T transmitters are now operational in Brussels.
An extension to the whole French community is planned for early 2006.

Thanks to VRT for its update to this information dated  May 2nd 2005 

The information provided comes from several sources and whilst DVB believes it to be correct we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

If you have any more up to date information or corrections please send them to dvb@dvb.org

Last page update: 3rd November 2008, Barry Tew