RTE plans to invest €120 million in new digital network roll-out

RTE plans to invest €120 million in a new transmission network, which will pave the way for the switch to digital television according to an article in the Sunday Business Post. The article goes on to say that RTE’s transmission subsidiary, RTENL, has put a cost of €95 million on the first phase of the rollout of digital terrestrial television (DTT) which will bring the new system to 90 per cent of the population.
RTE will have one multiplex and commercial operators will have three.
RTENL expects that more than 75 per cent of the population will have digital television by the second quarter of 2009, increasing to 90 per cent by 2010.
Communications minister Eamon Ryan said: ”The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) will shortly be commencing its process to issue commercial DTT contracts in 2008, and it is expected that the commercial sector will work, together with RTE and the BCI, to develop an attractive range of DTT services well ahead of 2012.”
A new website has been launched to give more information on the DTT transition and it can be accessed by clicking on the following link digitaltelevision.ie
Source: Sunday Business Post
Item added: 4th March 2008