Romania Switching to DVB-T2

Romania will switch off the analog terrestrial signal and will pass to digital terrestrial television on June 17, 2015, announced Catalin Marinescu, president of telecom watchdog ANCOM.

The telecom authority will allocate 5 national digital multiplexes in DVB-T2 standard, four national digital multiplexes in UHF (ultra-high frequency) band and one national digital multiplex in VHF band. ANCOM will also allocate regional digital multiplexes. The number remains to be decided, depending on the need, after the national ones are allocated.

One of the four multiplexes in UHF band will be allocated in certain conditions: it can broadcast public and private stations after June 17, 2015, provided it ensures fixed emission coverage of 90 percent of the population and 80 percent of the territory by December 31, 2016.

The government approved the strategy regarding the transition to digital terrestrial television and the implementation of multimedia services at national level. Government decision 400 was published in the Official Gazette on July 3, 2013. This week, the telecom authority laid out the steps to the transition to digital terrestrial television:

By mid-November, the government draft that sets the license tax and the procedure for allocating the licenses and the draft regarding the procedure to allocate the digital multiplexes and the preliminary task book will be completed and put out for public consultations. By the beginning of 2014, consultations and the approval of the documents should be completed. In January 2014, the selection procedure should be launched. By the end of April 2014, the procedure of allocating the multiplexes should be completed. By June 17, 2015, the transition from analog terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television should be complete.

Source: Balkans.com