Russia to launch DVB-H services

26 August 2009

Russia has finalized plans to launch DVB-H services in Moscow by the end of 2009.

Kommersant reports that the country’s State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) has given the go-ahead for subsidiaries of three operators – Sistema, Vimpelcom and Skartela – to launch DVB-H services in Moscow by the end of the year.

Until the end of the year, they will operate on a trial basis and offer eight channels free of charge. These have already been selected, according to an earlier Presidential Decree, as the main TV channels currently available in Russia, plus new youths and children’s channels.

More will subsequently be added, with operators having to obtain permission in each case, though DVB-H is as yet not regulated by Russian law. All three operators appear to have the necessary infrastructure in place, and Sistema’s subsidiary TSTV has in fact already undertaken trials.

Source: www.broadbandtvnews.com

For more information on DVB-H: www.dvb-h.org