March 31, 2010

by Rapid TV News

Website: Rapid TV News

Four days before Spain’s national analogue switch-off, the government has approved the criteria for assigning digital-terrestrial TV multiplexes and also for the booking of the digital dividend.

By means of a new Royal Decree officially approved last week, the national private broadcasters will each be able to access a complete mux after analogue switch-off.

Public broadcaster RTVE and the regional public broadcasters will access two complete muxes each.

The Decree also determines the procedure for the utilization of the 790-862 MHz band, commonly known as the ‘digital dividend’ before January 2015.

The process established is step-by-step and made up of two phases, guaranteeing a smooth transition because at any given moment the private broadcasters have the same capacity for the transition.

The government has calculated the digital dividend will raise between E12,000 and E16,000 million for the national economy.

Those frequencies within the digital dividend are suitable for the allocation of new mobile broadband services so allowing improved coverage both in urban areas and in rural ones.

This will significantly advance the reduction in the so called ‘digital divide’ for the population so getting a bigger social and economic cohesion across the country.

The Decree establishes two phases: The first will start in June and will be implemented until March next year. The second phase will work on the booking of the frequencies band of between 790 to 862 MHz and will be used for advanced electronic communication services.

Meanwhile, Spain’s broadcasters want more broadband capacity to guarantee the offering of high-definition TV.

Maurizio Carlotti, Antena 3’s vice-president, said: “When the government approved the DTT plan it should have demanded we broadcast in HD such as happened in the US.

“But the government rather allowed many new DTT channels.”

José Miguel Contreras, laSexta’s CEO, thinks the same.

In the next few days the government is to approve another Royal Decree to regulate HDTV.

According to the government this new Decree will allow all broadcasters to officially offer HDTV services.

Story link: Spain approves criteria for assigning DTT multiplexes