Links for further DVB-H information

Links for further DVB-H information Broadcast Mobile Convergence Forum (BMCO) www.bmco-berlin.com DVB-H: Global Mobile TV - DVB initiative www.dvb-h.org Finnish Mobile TV – Finland www.finnishmobiletv.com DVB-H Interest Group (HIG) – Germany www.hig-info.tv Mobiel.tv - the Netherlands www.mobiel.tv/index.html Mobile TV Alliance - North America www.mdtvalliance.org/en/index.asp Mobile TV Forum - Nokia initiative www.mobiletv.nokia.com Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) www.openmobilealliance.org Country DTT links information Andorra Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra (STA) Ràdio i Televisió d’Andorra (RTVA) Austria Digitale Plattform Austria Kommunikationsbehörde Austria (KommAustria) administrative support provided by Rundfunk & Telekom Regulierungs (RTR) Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) Österreichische Rundfunksender (ORS) DVB-T Trial !TV4Graz (December 2004) Belgium Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) - French speaking community Medienrat der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft - German speaking community Vlaamse Regulator voor de Media (VRM) - Flemish speaking community Belgischer Rundfunk - Radio & TV (BFR) - German speaking community Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) - French speaking community Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep (VRT) - Flemish speaking community Croatia Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Hrvatska Radiotelevizija TV (HRT) Odasiljaci i veze (OiV) Czech Republic Cesky Telekomunikacni (CTU) Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) Czech Television (CT) Czech Digital Group (DTT multiplex operator) Ceské radiokomunikace (DTT multiplex operator) Cesky Telecom (DTT multiplex operator) Digital Broadcasting Development Policy Denmark DIGI-TV Mediesekretariatet (RTB) DR TV Broadcast Services Danmark Estonia Estonian Broadcasting Council Eesti Televisioon (ETV) Levira Finland DigiTV Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) Yleisradio Oy (YLE) Digita France Télévision Numérique Terrestre Gratuite Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) France Télévisions Antalis TV TéléDiffusion de France (TDF) Towercast Accélération du Déploiement de la Télévision Numérique Terrestre et Extension de la Disponibilité des Chaînes de la TNT sur le Territoire (November 2005) Set-top box specifications (July 2001) Germany DasÜberallFernsehen Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Landesmedienanstalten (ALM) Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) T-Systems Set-top box specifications (August 2003) Greece Greek National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV) Elliniki Radiophonia Tileorassi (ERT) Hungary National Communications Authority National Radio and Television Commission (ORTT) Magyar Televizio (MTV) Antenna Hungária Ireland Commission for Communications Regulation (COMREG) Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE) Announcement on next stages in procurement for DTT pilot (November 2005) RTE Publication on Digital TV & Radio Services in Ireland (July 2005) Italy DGTVi Autorita per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) Rai Way Elettronica Industriale (Mediaset Group) Telecom Italia Media (La7) Set-top box specifications - D-Book (August 2003) Luxembourg Portail Médias et Communication du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Institut Luxembourgeois de Régulation (ILR) Télé Letzebuerg Macedonia Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Macedonia Macedonian Radio-Television (MRT) Public Enterprise Macedonian Broadcasting (PEMB) Malta Malta Communications Authority (MCA) Public Broadcasting Service - Malta Maltacom (DTT service provider) Multiplus (DTT service provider) Policy and implementation strategy regarding DTT (February 2005) Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs Commissariat voor de Media Nederlands Public Broadcasting Nozema Services Digitenne (DTT service provider) Norway Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs Medietilsynet - Norwegian Media Authority Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) Norkring Norges Televisjon (NTV) (DTT service provider applicant) Invitation to tender for DTT licence (June 2005) Poland Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) National Broadcasting Council (KRRIT) Telewizja Polska (TVP) Emitel National Polish Electronic Media Policy (June 2004) Portugal Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP) Portugal Telecom Rede de Emissoras da Televisão Independente Slovakia Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission Slovenská Televízia (STV) Slovenia Agencija za pošto in elektronske komunikacije RS (APEK) Broadcasting Council (SRDF) RTV Slovenia (RTVSLO) Spain Television Digital Terrestre (TDT) Televisión Digital Terrestre de Catalunya (tdtcatalunya) Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Commercio Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT) Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) Abertis Set-top box specifications (September 2005) Plan de Extensión de Coberturas (September 2005) Sweden Digital TV Overgangen Radio- och TV-verket (RTVV) Broadcasting Commission (GRN) Sveriges Television (SVT) Teracom Boxer (DTT Service Provider) Switzerland Television numérique Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM) SRG SSR idée suisse Swisscom Broadcast L'avenir de la télévision passe par le numérique (Janvier 2006) Ukraine State Committee for Communications and Information National Television and Broadcasting Council National Telekompanya Ukrainy (NTCU) Natsionalna Radiokompanya Ukrainy (NRCU) Ukrainian Digital TV Network United Kingdom Digital UK Digital Television Project - (DTI & DCMS) Office of Communications (Ofcom) British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) National Grid Wireless Arqiva Freeview (Free DTT service provider) Top Up TV (pay DTT service provider) Analogue Switch-off: A Signal Change in Television (March 2006) The Digital Switchover Programme - Programme Structure (January 2006) Driving Digital Switchover: a report to the Secretary of State (April 2004) Progress towards achieving Digital Switch-Over (April 2004) Set-top box specifications - D-Book (for purchase from DTG) Linking to pan-national information Standardisation DVB Project E-book for purchase from the IEC website (reference IEC 62216-1) European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) NorDig European Union Information Society European Commission reports on switchover National switchover plans Published studies on switchover Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) Regulators European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT) European Radiocommunications Office (ERO) ITU ITU-T ITU-R Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC) DTV Broadcasting Status Worldwide http://www.rtr.at/web.nsf/deutsch/Rundfunk_Veranstalter_Frequenzbuecher Austria Frequency Lists http://www.acma.gov.au/ACMAINTER.786552:STANDARD::pc=PC_90056 Australia Frequency Lists http://www.dba.org.au/index.asp?sectionID=22 Reception Locator http://www.dba.org.au/index.asp?sectionID=120 Current Modulation Parameters http://www.vrt.be/extra/Lijst_vrt_zenders.pdf Belgium Frequency Lists http://members.shaw.ca/nwbroadcasters/digitaltv.htm http://www.locationsound.ca/pdf/dtvch.pdf Canada Frequency Lists http://www.digi-tv.dk/Indhold_og_tilbud/frekvenser.asp Denmark Frequency Lists http://www.digitv.fi/sivu.asp?path=1;2999;3959 Finland Frequency Lists http://www.csa.fr/infos/autorisations/autorisations_tnt.php France Frequency Lists http://www.ueberallfernsehen.de/ Germany Frequency Lists http://www.ert.gr/ertae/en/Ert%5Fdigital/technical.asp Greece Frequency Lists http://www.dgtvi.it/dgtvi/copertura.aspx?TRS_ID=1550000 Italy Frequency Lists http://www.d-pa.org/program/ Japan Frequency Lists http://www.rtl.lu/cms/tele/digitaltv/ Luxembourg Frequency Lists http://www.nozema.nl/content_eng.asp?ID=338 Nederland Frequency Lists http://www.tdtcat.net/tdtcat/AppPHP/cat/canals.php Spain Frequency Lists http://www.teracom.se/?page=508 Sweden Frequency Lists http://www.dtvc.org.tw/2-3.htm Taiwan Frequency Lists http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/transmitters.html UK Frequency Lists http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/issues/digitaltv/DTVStations.asp USA Frequency Lists DTV Status Worldwide Albania Digital success in Albania Albanian digital pay-TV provider DigitAlb has announced that it has reached 100,000 subscribers according to Broadband TV News. Launched in July 2003, it is the countries only Digital Terrestrial Platform and also operates a digital satellite service. The satellite platform has been selling large numbers of subscriptions in the EU, where there are many Albanian migrants. DigitAlb only has a temporary DTT broadcast license at present and is lobbying parliament to approve a regulation draft law on DTT. Source: Broadband TV News Sept 8th 2005 http://www.central.broadbandtvnews.com/ Item added: 12th September 2005 Andorra Andorra, DVB-T multiplex in Operation The single multiplex on UHF channel 28 covers 100% of population and distributes television programs from BBC World, RTP Internacional, Tele 5, 3-24(with MHP applications) and ARTE. The government expects that all analogue services will be available on the digital platform by 2005 and that the final analogue switch off will be in 2008. Source: Digitag http://www.digitag.org/ Item added: 1st August 2005 Argentina Working group formed to advise Government on digital TV standards Argentina's communications ministry SeCom has created a working group to advise the government on which digital TV standard the nation should adopt, local La Nacin newspaper reported. The government is expected to decide between two digital TV standard options: the ATSC standard currently used in the US and a few other countries; and Europe's DVB standard, which is used in many more. Argentina selected the ATSC standard back in 1998 but the government later overruled the decision and it was expected that they would adopt the same system as Brazil. The Argentine authorities now say they will decide independently, taking into account the benefits for the country such as royalties, investments expected in the country and job generation policies. Source: TMCnet Item added: 12th June 2006 http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/08/1675402.htm DVB-T Trial Service On Air in Argentina The DVB Project Office has learned that Argentinian broadcaster Telefe is currently broadcasting a trial DVB-T service on Channel 10 in the Buenos Aires area. Telefe, the leading broadcaster in the Buenos Aires region in audience terms, began the trial broadcasts last month. We hope to be in a position to provide more information, including the technical parameters of the service, in the coming days. Source: DVB website Item added: 21st March 2006 Australia Multicasting and a 2012 Switchover In a recent document, “Meeting the Digital Challenge: Reforming Australia’s media in the digital age”, it is proposed that the digital switch-off date is delayed from 2008 to 2012. Commencement of progressive switch-off is recommended to start in 2010. These are just some of the proposals in this discussion document, from Senator Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Comments are to be submitted by the 18th April 2006. In recent reports Conan is quoted as saying that “ By relying mainly on market forces to drive take-up of FTA digital television we have clearly not progressed at a level and pace to allow switch-over to commence at the end of 2008 as originally planned. Australia must now implement a strategy to energetically drive take-up to achieve switchover.” A Digital Action Plan will be drawn up with the aim of determining and ensuring that the switchover process meets its planned goals. The discussion document is a key part of this process. In the media release it is also mentioned that the previous analogue models do not suit the digital age and it even suggests that there may be some relaxation of the Australian simulcast rules for joint HDTV and SDTV which prevents multicasting. The ability to provide multiple SDTV programs has been stated by several commentators as one of the main reason for the great success of DTT in the UK, which also never mandated HDTV services. Main Source: gov.au Item added: 21st March 2006 http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/meeting_the_digital_challenge_reforming_ australias_media_in_the_digital_age Mobile TV Showcase at Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games uses DVB-H Telestra, Microsoft and Broadcast Australia announced on Monday, 13th March their plans for Melbourne's first live demonstration showcase of mobile TV, as part of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. The Melbourne service will broadcast up to seven channels of live Commonwealth Games using DVB-H technology to deliver the programs to mobile handsets. Transmissions begin on March 15th and end with the games Closing Ceremony on March 26th. Broadcast Australia is providing the transmission infrastructure for the showcase service. "We are very pleased to be part of this wonderful event," said Graeme Barclay, Broadcast Australia Managing Director. "We believe strongly that mobile TV is a product of the future that allows consumers the opportunity to access their favorite television shows via a handheld device-anywhere, at any time. DVB-H is an exciting new mobile television platform that represents a convergence of traditional broadcast and mobile communications technologies. Source: Pc world Item added: 13th March 2006 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/pp.php?id=1008705737&taxid=45 Analogue TV switch-off delay recommended A Federal Parliamentary committee has recommended delaying the shutdown of analogue television broadcasts until 2010, to encourage a smooth transition to digital television. The delay has been suggested because Australians have been slow to take up the new technology. "The committee believes the lack of certainty regarding analogue switch-off is a key failure in the drive to take-up digital television and recommends a nationwide analogue switch-off on the first of January, 2010," she said. Source: ABC Item added: 13th February 2006 http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1568781.htm Digital TV sales in excess of 1.3 million units As of December 31st 2005 the estimated number of digital television set top box receivers and integrated digital TV sets sold to retailers and installers was 1,304,000 units, with 49% (642,000 units) of the total being sold during 2005. The estimate is based on sales reported to DBA and to the industry data collection agency, GfK Infomark, by companies supplying to retailers and installers. Source: DBA newsletter Item added: 2nd February 2005 http://www.dba.org.au/newsletter/IB-FebMar06-full.asp#PRODUCT1 Sales of digital tv receivers expected to boom for Christmas Sales of digital television receivers by the major suppliers in October 2005 are more than double the sales recorded in October 2004 - pointing to a very healthy increase in sales by retailers leading up to Christmas. DBA reported that at the end of September 2005, 1,085,000 digital television receivers had been sold by suppliers to retailers, with average monthly sales in the September 2005 quarter of 54,500 units. Source: DBA Newsletter Dec/Jan. Item added: 13th December 2005 DBA welcomes release of ACMA digital media survey Digital Broadcasting Australia welcomes the release earlier today (9 Nov 2005) of the Australian Communications and Media Authority digital media survey. The survey confirms the level of free-to-view digital television receiver sales already reported by the DBA and the importance of consumer information. The ACMA survey, conducted in June and July 2005, indicates that 988,000 homes (13% of Australia's TV homes) have taken up free-to-view digital technology. According to the ACMA report, about 20% of those homes have more that one free-to-view digital television receiver, thus translating into total sales of receivers to consumers of nearly 1.2 million. Source: DBA press release Item added: 9th November 2005 Pay TV Operators agree to 2007 switch-off Australia recently abandoned its 2008 analogue switch-off target because of poor reported take-up of DTT, however Pay television operators have now announced that they will be switching off their analogue broadcasts before March 2007, sooner than expected. The two largest pay television operators, Foxtel and Austar have a reported customer base of 1.8 million, with 75% already receiving digital signals. Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams is reported as saying that "they (the subscribers) are taking (digital) out in droves. We think the issue may be that we arrive there sooner (March 2007)" The recent Australian draft action plan pushed the switchover target for the whole of Australia to at least 2011 and methods to achieve this date are currently being studied. Main source: DTG website Item added: 26th October 2005 920,000 free to view digital tv receivers sold to June 2005 As at 30 June 2005 the estimated number of digital television set top box receivers and integrated digital TV sets sold to retailers and installers were 920,000 - an increase of 143,000 units for the quarter. The estimate is based on sales reported by DBA member companies supplying product to retailers and installers. Source:DBA. Item added: 9th August 2005 TV to Mobilephone trial using DVB-H begins Bridge Networks, a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank's TV towers business Broadcast Australia is set to start its year long trial in Sydney before the end of July. The trial uses DVB-H technology to deliver video pictures to mobile handsets. Up to 1000 people will be given Nokia 7110 video mobile phones with special DVB-H receiver attachments. Content partners have not yet been announced but Telco Telestra will be handling customer relations and providing some of the content. Source: Australian IT Item added: 14th July 2005 SBS broadcast MHP interactive TV application The SBS current affairs program "Insight" commenced broadcasting an MHP interactive application in late May. Digital capable receivers are expected to be available in the shops by the end of the year. However all free to view digital TV viewers will be able to see the extra material, presented in a non-interactive way, on SBS Essential (Channel 31) during the broadcast of the program. Source: http://www.dba.org.au/newsletter/IB-JunJul05-summary.asp Item added: 7th June 2005 DVB-H trial in Sydney to go ahead The DVB-H trial by Bridge Networks continues to gain momentum. Planned for a 12 month period, the trial is expected to start in the middle of the year. "During the trial period, we would expect the DVB-H transmissions to cover 80 percent of Sydney, or around 3.2 million people," said Darren Kirsop- Frearson, managing director, The Bridge Networks. "Telstra will be the sole telecommunications carrier involved in the trial and will manage the customer relationship and provide some content; Harris Corporation will supply transmission equipment and technical support; and Australian-manufacturer, RFS, will provide Radio Frequency combining products and services for the transmission of the DVB-H signal. "Up to 1000 Telstra customers will use the DVB-H-capable handsets to measure coverage, particularly within buildings, as well as provide valuable consumer feedback about the level and quality of services being tested. It's a very exciting broadcasting development and evidence of a true convergence of the broadcast and telecommunications industries," continued Mr. Kirsop- Frearson. Source: broadcastbuyer.tv 4th March 2005 General Pilot trial 1998/9 Legislation in place 2001 Soft launch 2000 Full Launch 2001 Analogue switch off 2005-10 delay to 2010 recommended Data Population 19.8 million (UN 2003) TV households 7.6 million (DBA 06/2004) Cable penetration 880 thousand Digital TV households 1,304 thousand DTV receivers sold (Dec 05 DBA) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard interval FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth 5 mostly VHF, some UHF 8k 1/16 & 1/8 for 3/4 & 2/3 FEC 3/4 and 2/3 (see above) 64QAM HDTV and SDTV both MFN and SFN 30kW VHF & 200kW UHF MHP 7MHz for both VHF and UHF Austria Public Information DTT Roadshow starts in September A Public Information Road-show will begin in September as the first DTT services are launched in Austria. The Chamber of commerce together with specialist dealers will provide a country wide information campaign on the new Terrestrial Digital Television service. The Digital switch over process is set to begin during the spring of 2007 and will be completed by 2010. As reported previously 90% of the population should be able to receive DTT transmissions by 2008. ORF1, ORF2 and ATV plus programs as well as interactive services using MHP will be available. Source: Aon.at Item added: 23rd May 2006 http://www.aon.at/ DTT License awarded to ORS The Austrian government has awarded broadcast network operator ORS a licence to launch DTT services in Austria. DTT services are expected to be launched in Autumn 2006. Viewers will be able to receive three television program services, ORF1, ORF2 and commercial service ATV+. In addition, a second regional version of ORF2 will also be made available to viewers. These services will be operated from MUX A. By 1 March 2007; MUX A must reach 60% of households and increase its population coverage to 90% by March 2009. A second multiplex, MUX B, is also likely to be launched. It is required to have a population coverage of at least 60% by the beginning of 2008 and provide access to a minimum of three television program services. ORS plans to use 11 DVB-T transmitters for the launch of MUX A this autumn and reach 70% of the population. A further 5 transmitters are to be put into service in February 2007 increasing the population coverage to 77%. An extra 51 transmitters will be added to increase the coverage to 91% of the population by the end of 2008 at the latest. It is expected that analogue switch-off will be in 2010. Source: Digitag and Heise online Item added: 27th February 2006 http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/70075 HDTV not a priority The technical director of the ORF, Andreas Gall, declared in an interview that HDTV will not be a priority for the public service broadcaster ORF. He did acknowledge that HDTV will become increasingly popular in the next 10-15 years. Gall noted that the biggest issue for the roll-out of HDTV services is the lack of a clear business model. At this stage, only manufacturers are able to profit from the move towards HDTV. ORF produces several HDTV programs each year, including the New Year concert. Source: Digitag Item added: 11th October 2005 DTT launch in October 2006 Public broadcaster ORF is ready to launch DTT services in October 2006. It will provide services to 70% of the population initially. The second and third launch phases are planned to reach 77% of the population by February 2007 and 91% of the population by the end of 2008. In December 2010, the population coverage should reach 95% with 349 transmitters. ORF will offer ORF 1, ORF 2 and ATV+ as well as interactive services on its multiplex. Following analogue switch-off, a second multiplex may be launched. Analogue switch-off is likely to begin in 2007 following a 6 month simulcast of analogue and digital terrestrial services. ORF has applied for the license for a DTT multiplex offered by the government. Under government regulations, the DTT multiplex license holder must offer services to at least 60% of the population within the first year of receiving the license. In terms of television reception, 14% of households rely on the terrestrial platform. Initial source: DigiTAG Source: DerStandard. http://derstandard.at/?id=2188774 The Austrian plan for digital introduction is in five stages. Stage 1: Preparatory phase (end of 2005) Test operation in Graz, frequency planning, multiplex advertising process. Stage 2: Staring period 2006 Country wide structure to cover major cities (middle of 2006) Edition: 60% Coverage one year after license assignment Stage 3: Transfer phase (2007 to 2010) Region by region transfer from analogue to digital when 90% of the population can receive DTT as well as 25% able to receive DTT indoors. Stage 4: Analogue turn off (starting from 2010) During the switch off phase additional space will be available for an additional 5 to 6 multiplexes which will then be offered for new multiplex operator applications. Source: KommAustria Item added: 23rd May 2005 http://www.rtr.at/web.nsf/englisch/Portfolio_Presseinfos_nach+Datum_PresseInfoDatum_PInfo130 52005RF !TV4 GRAZ March 2004 witnessed the introduction of digital terrestrial TV in Austria. Within the framework of the !ITVGRAZ project, 150 households in Austria's second largest city were equipped with MHP set-top boxes in order to test audience acceptance of added value applications based on the MHP standard. Under the auspices of the RTR(Austria's regulatory body), an SFN network was built in Graz to supply its citizens with digital terrestrial TV. This was the first step in line with Austrian planning which states that all terrestrial broadcasts must be digital by 2010. In a complete article published in the DVB scene, Wolfgang Rittsteiger and Rudolf North from the Siemens project team give much more detail of the 1TV4 GRAZ project. See the complete article in Issue 14 of DVB Scene. Item added: 17th May 2005 First DTT trial in Austria begins (see above) In Graz, Austria's second largest city, a digital terrestrial television trial began in April 2004. 150 households were involved in the initial period, which lasted until the end of July. Four programs were distributed in one multiplex: ORF 1, ORF 2 (public broadcaster), ATV+ (commercial) and a special interactive channel with MHP-based interactive services from ORF and various commercial TV stations in Austria. This interactive channel, called !TV4Graz, was on air in the months of June and July. The trial was extended into August with the programs of ORF1, ORF2, ATVplus and their MHP services in 80 households. The scope is, to find out, in what extend, interactivity can be seen as a driver for the market success of DTT. In this trial the DTT infrastructure is operated by ORF, the Austrian public service broadcaster, whilst the Interactive Application Centre is operated by SIEMENS Austria. RTR, the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications runs the project management and the market research which is conducted by Fessel+GfK. In the first half of 2005 there will be a contest for the license for operating the first commercial MUX-platform in Austria. The commercial launch will probably take place in the beginning of 2006. General Pilot trial Q2-2004 in Graz Legislation in place 2001 Soft launch 2005 Full launch 2006 Analogue switch off 2012 Data Population 8.1 million (UN 2003) TV households 3.28 million (2003) Cable penetration 1.17 million (2003) Digital TV households 500 for the trial Digital Cable households 150 thousand (2002) Digital Satellite households 1.5 million (Q1-2003) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard interval FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Channel bandwidth 2 UHF 8k 1/4 3/4 16QAM indoor, portable & fixed SFN MHP 8MHz Azerbaijan One thousand users watch digital television Digital Television began in September 2004 around Baku. Four channels are used in these tests and over 1000 users watch the digital television services today. Source: Azerbaijan State Information Agency Item added: 13th September 2005 Azerbaijan to begin Digital TV tests Azerbaijan will begin Digital TV tests very soon according to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. An item published by Azertac, the State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 1st 2004 stated that the number of TV channels would be increased and 4-5 different programs could be put in an existing TV channel when digital TV begins. It was also mentioned that less picture interference and improved quality would be a benefit of changing to digital TV as well as bringing easy access to Internet. Digital TV testing will start first in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula. Belarus Digital Broadcasting Network to cover Belarus by 2015 By 2010, terrestrial digital broadcasting using the DVB system will be available in all the regional centers of Belarus and by 2015 the broadcasting network will cover the whole country, according to an article on E-Belarus.org. The piece goes on to say that these, the objectives of the State Program for Digital TV and Radio Broadcasting were adopted by the Belarusian government on February 16, 2006. At present, digital broadcasting is only available in Minsk. Source: E-Belarus.org http://www.e-belarus.org/news/200603151.html Item added: 21st March 2006 Belarus launches DVB-T pilot The Belarus National State Teleradio Company has launched terrestrial digital broadcasting for Minsk and the Minsk region. The broadcaster launched a pilot project of four digital TV channels and a radio channel on 28 December, 2004, at a cost of €312,000, according to the deputy minister of communications, Valdimir Teslyuk. At the second stage of the project, digital terrestrial broadcasting will be launched in five regional centers. At the third stage, the project will expand to ten further regional centers, at a cost of €3m. The total budget of the project comes to €4.9m. According to the government’s digital broadcasting development strategy, Belarusian state companies Horizont and Vityaz will launch digital TV receiver and DVB-T application production later this year. Source: DMeurope.com 04/01/2005, Mikhail Doroshevich http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=5201 Belgium 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 licenses. 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 http://www.demorgen.be/telex/?news=own1138804664 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 http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl 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 http://dataxis.com/navigation/index.asp?LG=en&menu=depeches&depeches=1920 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 General Pilot trial 2002 Legislation in place 2002 Soft launch April 2002 Schoten transmitter Analogue switch off 2010 (latest) Data Population 10.3 million (UN 2003) TV households 4.4 million (2000) Cable penetration 4.07 million (200) Digital TV households 8000 (ero.dk June 2004) Digital Satellite households small, cable dominates DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Channel bandwidth 3-5 planned UHF 8k 1/8 indoor rod ant. to compete with cable SFN MHP was tested 8MHz Bosnia Herzegovina Bureaucratic problems in the Communication Regulatory Agency (CRA) are highlighted by Sartelcom as the main reason why the introduction of an interactive pay service using DVB-T is currently stalled in Bosnia Herzegovina. Rudof Bosnjak, owner of Sartelcom says that no regulatory framework currently exists, making progress difficult. So far Sartelcom, a recent start-up company, have been refused a pilot licence for the project but hope that this situation will soon be reversed. Sartelcom have also produced some interesting statistics about the TV situation in Bosnia Herzegovina which are detailed on their website http://www.sartelcom.ba There are estimated to be 500,000 TV households amongst the 3,500,000 population an to service these households it is suggested that on each of the existing 100 transmitter sites, 5 DVB-T transmitters could be utilized giving over 20 channels. Source : Sartelcom Barry Tew, 1st March 2005 Brazil Latest Brazil decides on a Digital Terrestrial TV system President Luiz Inaciao Lula da Silva signed a decree finally affirming the DTT system for Brazil on Thursday 29th June 2006. The decree names the Japanese ISDB-T system as the basis for the new Brazilian standard called Sistema Brasileiro de Televisao Digital Terrestre (SBTD-T). Whilst the ISDB-T standard forms the basis for SBTD-T the final system will be adapted for the special requirements of Brazil and will be based on the new MPEG-4, H.264 AVC compression standard and Brazilian Middleware. The system, like ISDB-T, is also capable of transmitting several low bit rate video programs to mobile handheld devices whilst at the same time delivering better definition to fixed receivers. The requirement to be able to deliver programs to mobile devices without having to deal with Telco’s was especially attractive to existing broadcasters. However it is likely in the long run that a more comprehensive mobile standard like DVB-H or MediaFLO will be used to provide users with 30 or more programs instead of the few available using the ISDB-T single segment system. In order to reach an agreement, Japan offered Brazil exemption from some of the royalty payments due for the application of its technology as well as the possibility of building a new semiconductor factory. In addition the transition from the existing TV standard PAL-M to SBTD-T will be financed by the Japanese JBIC and the Brazilian development bank BNDES. Brazil will take ten years for the transition to be completed through-out the whole country and it is likely that the first products for the reception of the new Brazilian standard will appear in 12 months time. Brazil is the first country to use the ISDB-T system outside Japan and it expects to work together with Japan on developing and improving the system to better meet its specific requirements. Sources, many including: Tiscali technology, Agencia EFE S.A., Prensa.com, eluniversal.com, Dow Jones, AFP. Item added: 2nd July 2006 Controversy Over Digital TV A recent article from the IPS Inter Press Service discusses the dilemas and issues which continue to delay a digital TV system choice in Brazil. It is worthwhile reading for those wishing to research the issue in more depth. The article "BRAZIL: Controversy Over Digital TV" by Mario Osava is available on the IPS website and can be accessed by clicking on the following link: IPS Inter Press Service Item added: 16th June 2006 Government Delegation to visit Europe According to Radiobras.gov.br, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will travel to Vienna in the second week of May to discuss the latest proposals on digital TV from the European Union. Quoting Luiz Fernando Furlan, minister for the Development of Industry and foreign commerce, the report goes on to say that the new proposal from the EU was received on April 17th and that the forthcoming EU/LAC Vienna Summit will provide a ready forum for the Brazilian delegation to further discuss the proposal. This proposal follows that for the Japanese ISDB-T system and associated support from Japan in implementing it, which resulted in the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. Source: Radiobras.gov.br Item added: 20th April 2006 DTT system decision expected in the run up to the October election Negotiations and discussions are continuing between Brazil, Japan, Europe and the USA over the best system choice to be used for Digital Television in Brazil. The decision has moved a long way from being purely a technical choice and now seems to revolve around incoming investment, charges for Intellectual Property Rights and help with the training and deployment of a new system in Brazil. Both the Japanese and DVB systems provide HDTV, SDTV and mobile television. Both systems also use similar technologies and it remains to be seen whether the Japanese system can be delivered without the payment of IPR fees being necessary to the many worldwide companies who's technologies are being used within it. Recently a memorandum of understanding on DTT was signed by Brazil and Japan which may lead to the selection of ISDB-T if further negotiations on forward investment can be reached. However it was stated by Brazilian representatives that the memorandum of understanding does not mean that the ISDB-T system has been chosen but it will be a useful piece of additional support for Japan. The memorandum described involvement by Japan in developing Brazil's electronics industry and also the training of Brazilian engineers to operate the system according recent news reports. A decision is expected to be announced during the run up to the October elections. Sources: IBL news, Monsters and Critics, Dow Jones and @LIS Weekly Market Watch. Item added: 18th April 2006 Brazil delays Digital TV Format choice The committee for the Development of the Brazilian System of Television, consisting of nine ministers, has delayed its decision, planned for March 10th, on which DTT system to adopt. This announcement confirms that recent press reports saying that the Japanese system, ISDB-T, had been chosen were false. The other DTT candidates for Brazil are the DVB system, which is used by more countries in the world than any other, or the ATSC system, which does not allow mobile TV reception, a key requirement for Brazil. A fourth choice consisting of a hybrid system specifically crafted for Brazilian requirements has long been a wish in Brazil but it is not known if enough internal funding and resource is available to make this happen. It is hoped that the strong desire to test a chosen digital TV system during the forthcoming World Soccer Cup in Germany this summer will make a decision possible soon. Source: Brazzilmag Item added: 21 March 2006 EU's Viviane Reding in talks with Brazil and Argentina on Digital TV This week sees the visit of the EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, to Agentina and Brazil. Accompanying her, are executives from Nokia, Philips, ST, Siemens and DVB. The visit is timely as, officially at least, the Brazilian government is due to announce a decision on February 10th. The DVB system is already used in Europe, Australia and parts of Asia as well as being the adopted system in many other countries including India and South Africa. Source: iwon and DVB Item added: 31st January 2006 Government to launch Digital TV by September ? Brazil's communication minister Helio Costa says the government plans to introduce digital TV services in the country by September 2006, according to local news service Agencia Estado, Telegeography.com reports on its website. The decision to choose either the ISDB-T or DVB-T system still has to be made but the US ATSC system is said to be already discounted. Brazil's plans to develop its own system are also reported to have stopped. Costa is reported to have said that transmission testing will begin in June with a full-blown commercial service launching in September. Source: Telegeography.com Item added: 23rd January 2006 The launch date for DTV in Brazil published in a recent Bloomberg.com article contradicts this optimistic start date and simply says that according to Costa's Brazilian broadcasters will begin transmitting DTT in the next five years. Source: Bloomberg.com Item added: 25th January 2006 Minister of Communication clarifies speech Hélio Costa, head of the Ministry of Communication, met with members of the project of Sistema Brasileno de TV Digital (SBTVD). As published by TelecomOnline, sources present in the meeting assured that Costa implied that his statement referring to SBTVD was "misunderstood". The minister explained that "when he said that the country could not have a national standard, he referred only to the transmission section. "Brazil can have an own digital TV system, including other components such as middleware", explained the officer. Item added: 1st August 2005 Brazil abandons plans to develop its own digital TV standard (see above) Brazil has been investigating the development of its own digital terrestrial broadcasting system but according to a report by TMCnet existing systems such as ISDB, DVB-T and the ATSC 8-VSB will once again be investigated for a Brazilian system choice. Communications Minister Helio Costa is reported to have said that Brazil's efforts to develop its own standard were unworkable considering the lack of research money devoted to the effort. Brazil has more than 120 million TV viewers and more homes have TV sets than refrigerators making it a very good prospective market for digital TV. Source: TMCnet Item added: 15th July 2005 (see story above) Brunei Brunei announces DVB-T for its digital terrestrial TV trial At the third Asean Digital Broadcasting (ADB) meeting, held on the 29th August in Brunei, Radio Television Brunei announced that it had chosen DVB-T as the transmission standard for its forthcoming trial. The main thrust of the meeting was to share knowledge and experience and also plan the transition to a common digital terrestrial television standard in the Asean region. More than 50 delegates from seven Asean countries attended the meeting namely Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines. Source: Borneo Bulletin http://www.brunet.bn/news/bb/tue/aug30h10.htm Item added: 1st September 2005 Background Frequency planning is now completed and preparations are underway for the introduction of DVB-T broadcasting services in 2007. Transmission trials are scheduled in the latter part of 2005. Source: ABU Technical Committee Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. China China begins switch to digital The government of China has announced that it will introduce digital television to areas throughout the country, following a successful three-year trial. It is estimated that China has 400 million television viewers of which around 30 million are expected to sign up for digital services in the next few years. At present more than 120 pay-TV channels licensed by the state are available on cable channels both analogue and digital, using DVB-C whilst China's own system is perfected. Direct-to-home DVB-S digital broadcasts from satellite are scheduled to begin later this year so that existing analogue cable circuits do not need to be updated for the new digital services. China is still evaluating its own home designed digital terrestrial television system and the longer this takes the more likely it is that DTH digital services will be the most popular means of receiving television in the short term. According to a DTG report a number of cities, including Qingdao and Mianyang, have already completed the upgrade to digital cable while several municipalities and provinces, such as Shanghai and Guangxi, are in the midst of a switchover. Main source: DTG Item added: 23rd May 2006 Recent reports say that a draft DTT standard has been submitted by SARFT Earlier this month the vice-minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in China (SARFT) is reported by the China People’s Daily as saying” that China has developed its own digital TV standard based on the European standard” and that a draft home-grown digital terrestrial TV standard has been submitted to the National Radio, Film and Television Standardization Commission. The draft also needs to be approved by the Standardization Administration in China. China is also expecting to develop its own digital satellite standard as well as one for IPTV. Sources: advanced-television.com Telecompaper Item added: 30th March 2006 Croatia Croatia starts DTT trials Croatia has begun DTT broadcasts in the capital, Zagreb, and coastal town of Rijeka. In Zagreb, broadcasts are undertaken through two transmitters – HRT Dom (UHF 56) and Sljeme (UHF 27) – while in Rijeka, broadcasts are employing the Ucka (UHF 28) transmitter. The transmissions from Sljeme can also be received in parts of neighbouring Slovenia, while those from Ucka cover the Adriatic and Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. A fourth transmitter will soon also be activated in the eastern town of Osijek (UHF 33) and cover parts of neighbouring Serbia. The DVB-T multiplex currently carries Croatia’s four principal channels – HRT1, HRT2, Nova TV and RTL Televizija Source: Digitag Item added: 27th June 2005 Croatia Background An experimental DVB-T system was started in May 2002. Two transmitters were installed by Croatian national television (HRT), each of approximately 250W. They cover the city of Zagreb and the surrounding area, which has a population of around 800,000. The objective of the trail is to test different modes of operation and in particular SFN’s and the protection ratio’s necessary for co existence with analogue TV transmissions. It is expected that 6 multiplexes will finally be needed but at present there are no free channels available. The government has still to announce official plans for the introduction of DVB-T and a switch off date for the present analogue TV transmissions. Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl Czech Republic New association formed to promote DTT Six new digital TV stations, which gained broadcasting licenses from the Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting in early April have formed a new association. The association called ADT aim’s to support the launch of digital broadcasting and to protect the rights and interests of its members. The association would also like to accelerate the switch from analogue to digital TV broadcasting. As a condition of the license the six new stations have 360 days to start activities. The Czech Republic will stop analogue broadcasting in 2012 in line with other EU countries. Source: Prague Daily Monitor Item added: 4th July 2006 Chamber of Deputies approve changes to media law On the 25th April 2006 the Chamber of Deputies finally approved amendments to the media law which set the legal framework for the introduction of digital broadcasting in the Czech republic. Voted by 122 out of the 171 deputies, the law still has to be signed by the president. The law lays down rules for the introduction of digitization which is already underway in the Czech Republic and now ensures that commercial analogue only stations like TV Nova and Prima TV will get digital licenses. Apart from the media law, two more policy documents cover the introduction of digitization. The first is the Technical Plan for Transition, which is to be finalized by the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) before the end of the year and clarifies the technical conditions of transitions to digital broadcasting. The other document is the government’s Concept for the Development of Digital Broadcasting in the Czech Republic, which sets deadlines for the scrapping of the analogue signal and announces plans for informational campaigns supporting the introduction of digitization. Source: Czech Business weekly Item added: 4th May 2006 More DTT licenses allocated The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) has allocated six DTT licenses to commercial broadcasters. The licenses have been awarded to Z1, TV Pohoda, Regionální televizni agentura (RTA), Febio TV, TV Barrandov and Óaka. Over 30 applicants with 40 projects had applied for the licenses. Viewers will be able to access a news services (Z1), a regional service (RTA), a children's service (TV Pohoda), a music service (Óaka) and two generalist services (Febio TV and TV Barrandov). The DTT license holders are expected to begin broadcasting services within the next 360 days and it is likely that services will begin by the end of the year. The licenses are valid for a period of 12 years. Multiplex B, operated by the Czech Digital Group, will run the services of Z1, TV Pohoda and RTA while Multiplex C, operated by Ceský Telecom, will run the services of Febio TV, TV Barrandov and Óaka. Source: Digitag Item added: 12th April 2006 ČESKÝ TELECOM Acquires another license for DTT ČESKÝ TELECOM, a.s., has acquired a license for the short-term experimental transmission of digital television (DVB-T) through its subsidiary company OMNICOM Praha, spol. s.r.o. In the scope of the pilot transmission, the operator will offer programs from the Óčko music station and TOP TV, it will also enable viewers to tune into Brno television station TVb 1. “We received a 60-day license for experimental transmitting, which will begin as of today, March 6, 2006. This will last until the launch of regular digital broadcasting on the basis of a license regulation in multiplex C,” stated Miroslav Hořejší, Deputy Executive Manager, OMNICOM. Michal Žilka, Executive Director of Content Services and Business Development for ČESKÝ TELECOM, added: “While we are waiting for the license for regular commercial broadcasting in the DVB-T system we would like to be active by means of the pilot transmission. We would also like to test the quality of the transmission of the digital signal and of interactive applications, including those that have been newly prepared.” Source: Cesky telecom press release Item added: 13th March 2006 Czech Republic - DTT coverage extended The coverage of DTT services in the Czech Republic has been extended to 35% of the population since the 9th February and DTT services are now available in the cities of Brno and Ostrava. DTT services were first launched in Prague on 21 October 2005. Viewers can access three television program services made available by Czech Television which include the generalist services CT1 and CT2 as well as its continuous news service CT24. To coincide with the start of the Winter Olympic Games, Czech Television has launched a new digital service, CT4 SPORT, dedicated to sports coverage. This service is available on the DTT platform as of 10 February Source: Digitag and Czech TV Item added: 13th February 2006 Olympics could be a boon to Digital Television Despite DTT services being launched in October the Chamber of Deputies again failed to agree on the new media law that should provide a firm basis for digital programming in Czechoslovakia. The meeting was held on January the 26th and further meetings are to be held in February. Despite the lack of a firm commitment it is estimated that 20,000 set top boxes equipped to receive the new services have already been sold. Retailers are also experiencing increased interest from customers who are looking for better pictures of the Winter Olympics. This is no doubt helped by the launch of the new Czech sports channel CT4 on February 9th, the eve of the Olympics. At present a date for the full launch of nation-wide DTT has not been decided. Source: The Prague Post Item added: 7th February 2006 Czech DTT might use MPEG-4 for its new service According to a recent web article in Broadband TV News (Central and East Europe) Czech Telecom is considering the use of MPEG-4 on its soon to be launched DTT service. In Prague and the surrounding area it is reported that 8 DTT channels are already available on a trial service using MPEG-2. These channels are provided in two multiplexes, one from the Czech Digital Group (CDG) and the other from Ceska Radiokomunikace (CRa). Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 23rd January 2006 Digital Broadcasting Launched Digital TV broadcasting was launched in the Czech Republic on the 21st October 2005. Up to 2 million people in the Prague area can now receive the digital TV signals of Czech Television (CTV) channels CT1, CT2 and CT24, as well as that of TV Nova, which was invited by CTV to be the first commercial digital network in the country. The service coverage will be extended to Brno and then to Ostrava next spring according to the CTV technical director Rudolf Pop. Eventually six digital television multiplexes, providing more than 24 channels, will cover the whole country. Analogue transmissions are expected to be switched-off by or before the end of 2012. Market analysts estimate that 20,000 set-top boxes have already been sold this year. Source: The Prague Post Item added: 21st November 2005. DVB-H in the Czech republic T-Mobile (Czech Republic) has been testing mobile television at the INVEX trade fair in Brno. The DVB-H transmission equipment was provided by Siemens communications and the mobile pocket televisions by Benq. As well as looking at television visitors to the trade show are also able to use interactive services to download songs and ring-tones. Source: DMeurope Item added: 27th October 2005 Czech Republic - Ready for DTT launch Official DTT services were planned for launch launch on Friday, 21 October according to Digitag. One multiplex will provide DTT services in Prague and the surrounding area. Czech Television will provide three television service programs which include generalist services CT1 and CT2 as well as its continuous news service CT24. Commercial broadcaster Novy will also provide its services. It is expected that Czech Television will launch a sports service on the DTT platform next year . Service will be available free-to-air and use the MPEG-2 video compression standard. Coverage will be extended to Brno and Ostrava next year. It is expected that the multiplex will eventually provide services to 70% of all households in two years' time. Source: Digitag (Czech Television) Item added: 20th October 2005 Previous Cesky Telecom begins experimental DTT broadcasts Czech telco Cesky Telecom, a subsidiary of Spanish telco Telefonica, has begun an experimental broadcast of TV Ocko in its DVB-T multiplex. The broadcasts are licensed to cover the Prague and Brno areas and the objective of the trial is to find out and correct any problems that may occur with the introduction of the DVB-T digital broadcast system. The quality of the transmissions will be tested along with interactive multimedia applications. Source: DM europe Item added: 18th October 2005 DTT services get closer Czech Television has asked the Broadcasting Council (RRTV) for permission to start DTT transmissions next month according to Broadband TV News, Central Europe. If the request is granted the broadcaster will start distributing its services CT1, CT2 and possibly, news based, CT24 in the first half of 2006. Coverage will be provided to Prague and the surrounding area first and then increased to cover the cities of Brno and Ostrava. Coverage is expected to be 35% of the population in 2006. Three multiplexes are expected to be deployed in the Czech Republic, one for Czech Television, operated by the television company Cra, reaching 75% of the population at launch and 97% of the population eventually. Czech Television plans to launch two more multiplexes once the DTT platform is fully operational. Source: Broadband TV Sept. 16th 2005 Item added: 19th September 2005 Experimental DTT service running in Prague It is reported that three DVB-T transmitters are running in the Prague area. Free to air content which includes a 24 hour news service from Czech TV (the Public Service Broadcaster) is being broadcast. Although the service is experimental it is estimated that over 50,000 DTT receivers have been sold mostly obtained from the German and Italian markets. The current price for an STB in Prague is said to be €100. Source: DVB and digitv.cz Item added: 13th September 2005 Three DTT Licenses granted The Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) has granted three DVB-T digital television broadcasting licenses, the CTU announced on its web site, according to the Interfax news agency. The licenses have been awarded to state-owned Cesky Telecom, the number two firm on the telecommunications market Ceske radiokomunikace (CRa) and the Czech Digital Group company. The companies, which have been testing the services since 2000, say they will be ready to start digital TV broadcasting in several months. In the initial phase, CRa will cover Prague, Brno and Ostrava. CT will cover Prague, Brno, Ceske Budejovice, Plzen, Karlovy Vary, Usti nad Labem. Liberec, Hradec Kralove, Pardubice and Olomouc. Previously four CDG and five Cra channels where on air from two transmitters covering 50km around Prague. Radio channels and MHP applications were also tested during the trial period. Experts estimate that traditional analogue broadcasting in the Czech Republic could wind down in 2010-2012. In September 2004 Sophia Digital announced that it was to deliver its Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) service to Cesky Telecom. The order includes a solution for MHP Service Management and a platform for creating browser-based MHP services such as super-teletext, shopping, e-mail and voting. Additionally Sophia Digital is to deliver Cesky an electronic programme guide (EPG) platform, games and an interactive news ticker service. Source http://www.dmeurope.com Denmark Digi-tv website launched Denmark has launched a website dedicated to Digital TV, which starts in Denmark on March 31st. The main website is in Danish and an English version is under construction. Source: Digi TV Item added: 30th March 2006 DTT to start in April 2006 Denmark is ready for the initial launch of DTT services using one multiplex in April 2006. This will be free-to-air and include services from DR, DR2 and TV2. Three additional multiplexes will also be launched later when frequency allocations are decided and it is expected that the entire Danish population will be able to receive all four multiplexes within 18 months. Interactive services based on the MHP DVB standard will be used from the start of the new DTT programming. Source: Digitag Web-Letter 46, December 2005 Item added: 12th December 2005 Previous Denmark announces analogue TV switch off date The end of October 2009 has been set by the Government as the official date for analogue television switch off in Denmark, according to a press release dated 22nd June 2005. Decisions regarding the use of spectrum (e.g. the amount used for TV or other services) will await the outcome of the ongoing international negotiations. Source: Videnskabsministeriet Item added: 9th August 2005 Danish consortium to test DVB-H Public service broadcaster Danmarks Radio, Nokia Corp. and Motorola have formed a consortium to carry out pilot tests using the DVB-H standard to deliver video and data to mobile phones, according to the Danish Computerworld website. The test will be coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark. Nokia and Motorola will supply phones, telecom provider TDC the telephone services and Danmarks Radio the broadcast services. The tests are planned to start in the Autumn of 2005. Source: Computerworld.dk Item added: 21st July 2005 Net Insight receives order from the national Danish TV network Net Insight has been awarded a contract to bring digital TV signals from national and regional broadcasters, via optical fiber and microwave links, to transmitter stations all over Denmark. The contract awarded by Broadcast Services Denmark (BSD) is worth over SEK 10 million and uses the Net Insights Nimbra platform. The network will enable the distribution of the signals required for the Danish digital terrestrial DVB-T network, which is currently being set-up. Source: Net Insight Item added: 20th May 2005 Digital TV Transmitter order placed with NEC On December 20th 2004 NEC Corporation announced the conclusion of the first contract in Denmark for the supply of Digital Terrestrial TV Transmitters to Broadcast Services Denmark. The order consists of 19 digital terrestrial transmitter systems ranging from 1.2kW to 7.5kW and equipped with the DM 3000 digital exciter. The public broadcasters, Danish Corporation and TV2 Denmark will be the services providers for the new venture. Source: NEC press release 20th Dec. 2004 General Pilot trial 1999 (Copenhagen & Zealand) & 2002 (North Jutland) Legislation in place Dec. 2002 (with a revised political agreement and roll-out plan in Sept. 2003 Initial launch April 2005 MUX 1 Full launch MUX 2-4 to be allocated channels. Start within 18 months of MUX1 Analogue switch off End of October 2009 Data Population 5.5 million (UN 2003) TV households 2.34 million (2002) DTT households 2k viewing content from other countries (estimate Dec 05) Cable penetration approx. 1.3 million Digital TV households approx. 0.6 million Digital Cable households approx. 60 thousand Digital Satellite households approx. 500 thousand DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth 4 planned, one initially UHF 8k 1/4 2/3 64QAM SDTV MFN with SFN 50kW MHP 8MHz Estonia DVB-T service launch expected at the end of 2006 using MPEG-4 The government has decided that DVB-T services will be launched in Estonia by the end of 2006. Services will by launched by broadcast network operator Levira and provide content from Estonia's largest radio broadcaster and its public service broadcaster, Eesti Television (ETV). Levira has announced that it will roll-out 2 multiplexes this year while a third multiplex will be launched in 2007-2008. A fourth multiplex may be launched in 2009. In addition, it has been decided that the MPEG-4 video compression standard will be used. The government would like the DTT package to provide at least 15 television program services, including the television services currently accessible on the terrestrial analogue platform. DVB-H services are also planned for provision in the future. Analogue switch-off has been set for 20 December 2012, although it may begin in some regions as of 2010. DTT trials have been undertaken since 2003 in the capital Tallinn. The trial current provides 3 television program services (Euronews, BBC World and TV3+ Estonia) using the MPEG-2 video compression standard and 2 television program services (ETV) using the MPEG-4 video compression standard. Source: Digitag Item added: 6th March 2006 EuroNews on Estonian DTT EuroNews has extended its distribution following the channel's launch on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform in the capital city of Tallinn, Estonia. The channel has been launched in the Baltic region in Estonia by Levira, the operator of the Estonian DTT platform. Around 250,000 viewers in 70,000 Estonian households will have access to the channel in Russian, English, French and German. Source: Advanced-Television.com Item added: 26th April 2005 Background Estonia started a DVB-T pilot trial during December 2003 in the Tallinn area. The transmission was increased to four simulcast programs in May 2004 and it is anticipated that 220,000 households in Tallinn and the Harju area will be in the reception zone. In June 2004 a document "Conception of Introducing Digital Broadcasting in Estonia" was drafted by a working party led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication and other interested parties. Respective changes in national legislation are expected soon. Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl Faroe Islands Although the Faroe Islands are strongly linked to Denmark they have overtaken their parent with the early introduction of Digital Terrestrial Television. The first service was switched on during December 2002 by Televarpio who now Broadcasts from five transmitter sites, providing DTT coverage to 2/3 of the Faroe Islands. Two more transmitter sites will be added later. It is reported that Televarpio have four multiplexes in operation which with time sharing broadcast 24 TV channels across the Islands. Last update: Barry Tew, 21st January 2004. More info. http://www.faroesetele.com/ Finland Digita granted Finland's fifth digital TV license The Finish government announced in a statement on the 15th June that it had awarded the country's fifth digital television license to Telediffusion de France (TDF) subsidiary Digita. There are currently three digital TV networks and one mobile digital TV network licensed in Finland and the new fifth network is expected to start in September 2007. Digita now holds the license for all five digital TV networks and won this latest bid in competition with 20 other applicants. Source: News Room Finland Item added: 20th June 2006 DVB-H launch in Finland comes a step closer 11 May 2006 Earlier this year Finnish company Digita was awarded the operating license for a DVB-H network in Finland. Today Digita has signed a contract with Nokia covering the supply of a DVB-H mobile TV platform. Digita will be responsible for the broadcasting network and administration of channels as the network operator. The first stage of network rollout in 2006 will cover the area inside the Ring Road III in the Helsinki region and the cities of Turku, Tampere, and Oulu. The network will reach 29 percent of the population in Finland by the end of 2006. Digita has already made plans to extend the network to cover the majority of Finns. Negotiations with the possible service operators have been based on these plans. More information can be found on the launch of DVB-H in Finland and elsewhere at www.dvb-h.org. Digital homes steadily increase Nearly half of all Finnish households have converted to digital television according to a statement from the country's transport and communications minister. The recent Finnpanel survey shows that 975,000 households now have access to digital television. The analogue switch-off process is also underway in the Aland Islands and the whole switch-off process in Finland is expected to be completed in 2007. Source: Broadband TV news Item added: 25th April 2006 New candidate for "World's First" with DVB-H? DVB 28 March 2006 The Finnish Goverment announced late last week that it has awarded a license to build and operate a DVB-H mobile TV network to Digita. Three other companies, Elisa Corporation, TeliaSonera Finland Plc and Telemast Nordic Oy, also applied for the license. The successful applicant says that it will roll out the network this year with the aim of covering 29% of the Finnish population by the end of 2006. This news comes against the backdrop of recent announcements in Italy from both 3 Italia, who say they will launch a network in time for the World Cup in June, and from Telecom Italia Mobile, who are targeting a September launch date. This year will also see the deployment of a DVB-H network in the USA from Crown Castle International subsidiary Modeo. Further information on the announcement in Finland and on DVB-H technology, trials and launches can be found on the official DVB-H website. Item added: 30th March 2006 29 Bid for DTT services license Finland's latest round of bidding for capacity on the countries digital network has resulted in expressions of interest from 29 broadcasters/companies. Capacity will be made available in existing multiplexes as well as on the new 5th multiplex. Two television service slots will be allocated to the Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Some of the prospective bidders for other slots are said to be BBC World Distribution Ltd., C More Entertainment, Discovery Communications, MTV Networks, National Geographic Channel, Turner Broadcasting, Viasat and The Walt Disney Company. Full applications have to be submitted by May 2nd. Source: Digitag Item added: 30th March 2006 Fifth Finish multiplex to be licensed The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland has announced plans to grant a new digital TV license for a fifth multiplex. The new license will focus specifically on the transmission of Swedish television programs. A fourth license round was announced in November with the intention of launching a mobile TV service using DVB-H technology. Applicants have until mid-February to submit an expression of interest to the ministry. The applications must be in by May 1, 2006. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 7th February 2006 Four applicants for Finnish DVB-H license Elisa Corporation, Digita Oy, TeliaSonera Finland Oyj and Telemast Nordic Oy have informed the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications that they are interested in applying for the nationwide DVB-H license. Applicants needed to inform the ministry of their interest by the end of November. Final applications must be submitted at the end of January. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 12th December 2005 Finland first to license commercial mobile TV services using DVB-H The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication announced on the 14th November that it would start accepting applications for mobile TV licenses based on the DVB-H transmission technology. The Minister of Transport and Communications Susanna Huovinen said that her government wants to promote the development of innovations, including mobile TV. The operating license will be awarded early next year. Source: The Register Item added: 15th November 2005 Finnish digital penetration increasing A total of 785,000 digital television decoders had been acquired by Finnish householders by the end of August according to an article in Helsingin Sanomat. This means that around 33% of Finnish homes are prepared for DTV transmissions. However the article argues that this is not big enough to allow the planed analogue shutoff in 2007 to take place. Source: Helsinginsanomat Item added: 18th October 2005 Consumers also want to watch TV programs on their mobile Espoo, Finland - Results announced today from one of the world's first commercial mobile TV pilots in Helsinki, Finland reveal the popularity and willingness to pay for mobile TV services, underlining the potential of this exciting new mobile application. 41% of pilot participants would be willing to purchase mobile TV services and half thought that a fixed monthly fee of 10 euros was a reasonable price to pay. Over half (58%) said that they believed broadcast mobile TV services would be popular. Digita, Elisa, MTV, Channel Four Finland (Nelonen), Nokia, TeliaSonera Finland and YLE jointly conducted the pilot in Finland between March and June 2005 with 500 users accessing mobile TV using the Nokia 7710 smart-phone and DVB-H technology. Source: Nokia Item added: 30th August 2005 Finnish Mobile TV Project at IAAF World championships The Finnish DVB-H mobile trial which has been running in Helsinki for several months went main-stream during the World Athletic Championships held in August. Nokia got together with network operator Digita, operators Elisa, Telia Sonora and TV stations YLE, MTV and Channel 4 to enable 300 people, loaned smart phones, to test-real time broadcasts during the athletics competition. The multi-channel package included domestic broadcasts of the championship, compilation broadcasts for international distribution and five special Championship broadcasts of individual events. Item added: 15th August 2005 Source: Nokia press release. Third stage of Digitization Completed Finland has just completed the third stage of digitizing the Finish TV network. Digita's main TV-stations now cover 99.9% of the population and the network will be extended by a further 51 low power transmitters in 2005/2006. Three multiplexes are available in Finland, consisting of 12 free and four pay-TV channels as well as six radio channels. Nearly 74% of the population can receive all these services with 94% able to receive 10 or more channels. The analogue switch off date for Finland is 31 August 2007. Source: DIGITA Oy Press release 3rd August 2005 Item added: 8th August 2005 Mobile TV pilot in Finland Digita, Elisa, MTV, Nelonen, Nokia, Sonera and YLE (The Finnish Broadcasting Company) are starting a unique mobile TVpilot in Finland. The project tests mobile TV services and consumer experiences, as well as the underlying technology, with 500 users in the Helsinki region. Selected from Sonera and Elisa mobile phone customers, the test users are able to view real-time TV and radio programs on a Nokia 7710 smart-phone equipped with a special accessory to receive mobile TV broadcasts. The Nokia smart-phone also enables direct links to the Internet for access to background information on TV programs or sports results. Test users have access to MTV, YLE and Nelonen programs as well as international theme channels such as CNN, BBC World, Euronews, Eurosport, ViVa Plus and Fashion TV. The pilot continues until 20 June 2005. Source: Advanced-Television.com http://www.advanced-television.com/2005/news_archive_2005/Mar7_March11.htm#wed General Pilot trial 1999 Legislation in place May 2003 Soft launch August 2001 Full launch October 2002 Analogue switch off October 31st 2007 Data Population 5.2 million (UN 2002) TV households 2.13 million (2002) Cable penetration 800k (likely to have reduced) Digital TV households 975k (Finnpanel 2006) DTT penetration 46% approx 2006 DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth DVB-H License applied for Nov 2005 There are extensive MHP services on offer in Finland. For more details go to www.mhp.org 5 UHF 8k 1/8 2/3 64QAM Freeview SDTV and DVB-H MFN 50kW MHP 8MHz France Second DTT/HD trial planned for September The first HDTV trial on the DTT platform took place between the 28th May and the 17th July in Paris, Lyon and Marseille with broadcasters Télévisions, Arte, TF1, Canal+ and M6. Unfortunately not all broadcasters were able to take part in this trial and now the CSA is planning a second trial from the 1st September to the 7th January 2007. Licenses will be available for use in Paris (ch23), Lyon (ch27) and Marseille (ch22). Preference will be given to free-to-view broadcasters on the DTT platform, who didn’t take part in the previous trial. The material used must be HD content coded using MPEG 4. Applications must be received by the 13th July. Source: CSA Item added: 4th July 2006 Law to allow for the introduction of HDTV and DVB-H announced The Government has now made the proposal to modify the outdated broadcasting law of 30th September 1986. The modification will allow for the introduction of new television services including HDTV and DVB-H which are currently prevented by the 1986 law. The proposal should be ready for parliamentary debate by September. The proposals also set a date of the 30th November 2011 for analogue TV switch off, with the process beginning in 2009. Source: Le Monde and NetEconomy Item added: 26th June 2006 Full Mobile TV (DVB-H) coverage for France in 2008 In an upbeat statement on Wednesday in Paris, Francois Loos, minister for industry, said that the reception of mobile TV everywhere in France could be possible in 2008. Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom already have video available on their cellphone networks but it is not possible to have many users on these one to one services. This was the reason given for the exceptional interest in DVB-H technology which provides a one too many broadcast approach. He said that this was why three operators were currently trialing DVB-H in France and also added that more research was taking place to integrate satellite transmissions with the system so as to allow better coverage outside the main city areas. However he also made clear that before launching DVB-H across the country frequencies must be found and allotted to these services and that the situation is made more difficult by an existing 1986 telecoms’ law which needs amendment. The bill to amend this law is expected in the next few weeks and Philippe Levrier a member of the deciding council said that as soon as the documents arrived a decision should be possible in a few weeks. Sources various: AFP Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Tribune de Geneve on line Item added: 16th June 2006 DTT coverage extended to 58% The CSA have announced that DTT coverage in France is now 58% of the population a total of 15 million households. The result has been brought about by the completion of 19 new transmitting stations. The next DTT coverage extension is expected to be in October when 60% of the population should have access. The regions covered by the new transmitters are: Aquitaine Auvergne Basse-Normandie Bretagne Corse Centre Franche-Comté Haute-Normandie Ile-de-France Limousin Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Pays de la Loire Rhone-Alpes (Agen, Arcachon) (Clermont-Ferrand) (Alençon, Caen) (Lorient) (Bastia) (Argenton-sur-Creuse, Tours) (Besançon) (Evreux) (Meaux) (Brive-La-Gaillarde) (Cannes, Nice, Saint-Raphaël) (Angers, Laval) (Roanne) Source: CSA Item added: 16th June 2006 HD/DTT trial has begun The CSA has confirmed plans for a Free-to-Air HDTV trial on the terrestrial platform. Permission has been given to Broadcasters TF1, M6, Canal+, Arte and France Televisions to transmit programs between the 28th May and the 17th July. The trial will be available in Paris, Lyon and Marseilles. Source: CSA Item added: 1st June 2006 Call for HDTV on the DTT platform The DTT promotion group comprised of free-to-air broadcasters and network operators, Groupement Télévision numérique pour tous, has called for available spectrum to be allocated to free-to-air broadcasters to allow for the provision of high-definition and mobile television services. In addition, spectrum should be allocated free-of-charge. The Groupement Télévision numérique pour tous is comprised of most of the free-to-air broadcasters on the DTT platform, including public and commercial broadcasters. Members include NT1, ARTE, Direct 8, France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, la chaîne parlementaire, NRJ12, Gulli and BFM TV. The statement from the Groupement TNT is a response to the public consultation launched by the Ministry of Culture on the launch of HD and mobile services on the terrestrial platform. Original Source: AFP Main Source: Digitag Item added: 1st June 2006 CSA announces the next phase of DTT roll-out The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuCSA) has announced the next phase of DTT roll-out in France. By 31 March 2007, 70% of the population will be able to access DTT services. The new regions to access DTT services are: - Bourgogne : Sens, Auxerre, Dijon, Mâcon, Le Creusot - Rhône-Alpes : Annecy, Chambéry, Montmélian, Voiron - Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurvignon, Menton - Lorraine : Bar-le-Duc, Vittel, Epinal - Champagne-Ardenne : Troyes, Chaumont - Franche-Comté : Belfort, Montbéliard - Poitou-Charentes : Parthenay This has been made possible by international negotiations with border countries, on frequency allocation, which has identified frequencies for 19 of the 40 transmission sites already under construction. The discussions continue to find further frequencies for the 115 sites which constitute the planned national network for DTT. Current DTT coverage stands at 50%, and is expected to reach 66% by October 2006. CSA has also presented a plan to provide DTT services in the border region of Alsace. The plan calls for the use of frequencies currently utilized for analogue services and this has caused the CSA to proposed that the digital switchover pilot takes place this year. The CSA has recommended that this pilot operation takes place at the site in Niederbronn-les-Bains (Alsace). Source: CSA website Item added: 16th May 2006 New Broadcast Consultation begins A consultation process to review the 1986 broadcasting law has been launched by the French Government. The present law does not take account of digital technologies such as DTT and Internet access. The review and subsequent legal amendments to the old law are needed to take account of mobile TV with TF1, M6 and Canal plus requiring the current allocation of seven channels per company to be extended before they can go ahead with new services. The new law will also make HDTV broadcast over DTT and cable possible. Main Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 8th May 2006 Presidential support given for digital switchover French president Jacques Chirac has given his support for digital switchover and has mandated a Strategic Committee to manage the switch to an all-digital environment, planned to take place in the next five years. The Strategic Committee is headed by the Prime Minister and consists of the Ministeries of culture, industry and national planning, who will work closely with regulators and members of the broadcast industry. The President has called for an analogue switch-off pilot this year and it is possible that the pilot takes place in the Alsace region. Analogue switch-off is likely to take place regionally over a five year period. Analogue switch-off will free up the necessary frequencies to increase the coverage of DTT services. It is planned that 95% of the population will be able to access DTT services when analogue switch-off is completed. Source: Digitag and Le Monde Item added: 7th May 2006 CSA allows limited HD/DTT trials The CSA has announced plans to clear channels for HDTV trials on a temporary basis in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. The trial may be extended to other cities on a non-interference basis to other services. The CSA has invited interested parties to apply for licenses permitting HDTV services using DTT platforms for the trials which will last for a period of nine months. Applicants will be able to use MPEG-4 compression to provide two HDTV services in the allocated channel slot. The closing date for applications is April 28th, 2006. Source: CSA Item added: 20th April 2006 Lack of free spectrum limits DTT growth The broadcast regulator Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) has informed the French Prime Minister that the population coverage of DTT will only reach 70% of the population by March 2007 instead of the planned 85%. In an official letter the CSA says that the planned for coverage is not possible due to the lack of available frequencies in some regions bordering other countries. Negotiations on frequency allocations begun in November still had not reached a satisfactory conclusion by January 2006. Agreements after this date do not allow sufficient time for digitization of transmitter sites by the March 2007 deadline. It is expected that only 15 sites will now be digitized by March 2007 instead of the 40 required to comfortable meet the initial plan for 85% coverage. Source: CSA website Item added: 12th April 2006 Analogue switch off set for 2011 The Minister of Culture and Communications, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, has announced that France will end its analogue terrestrial television services on 1 January 2011. Analogue switch-off is expected to take place region-by-region beginning in 2007. In January, President Jacques Chirac had called for the release of frequencies used for analogue terrestrial television. He would like these channels to be used for new digital services whose deployment is already being limited by the lack of free spectrum. (See item above) Source: ZDNet.fr Item added: 12th April 2006 MHP trials on the DTT platform The French broadcast regulator Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) has authorized NRJ 12 to undertake an interactive trial using the MHP standard. NRJ 12 broadcasts its services on the free-to-air DTT platform. The MHP trial is expected to last for a month. Source: CSA Item added: 30th March 2006 92% of the population to be able to receive TNT by 2011 According to a study by L’institut NPA Conseil, 92% of the French population should be able to receive digital terrestrial television by 2011. From 2008 it is expected that Terestrial Numeric Television (TNT) will be the major form of reception , ahead of both cable and satellite. In 2011, 24 million homes will be “connected” for digital TV compared with 6.4 million in 2006. The item also goes on to say that 10 million HDTV’s will be in French homes by 2011/12. Source: MEDIABB Item added: 30th March 2006 TNT in 2.5 Million homes after only one year One year after its launch terrestrial numeric television is in 2.519 million homes according to Marc Pallain president of TNT (Télévision numérique par Tous) A recent Gfk survey indicates that there ar 1,423,000 digital TV adapters, 375,000 computers with adapters and 173,000 TV sets equipped with TNT capability. Source: MEDIABB Item added: 30th March 2006 First results of DVB-H trial The first results of the DVB-H trial in Paris conducted by Canal+, Nokia, Towercast and SFR are positive. Of the 500 users, 73% have indicated their satisfaction and over 65% indicated that they would be willing to subscribe to the services. Users watched mobile television for an average of 20 minutes per day. Over half of the participants used DVB-H services from their homes while 14% used the services on public transportation and 12% while at work. The three periods of heavy usage included mornings (9.00-10.00), lunchtime (13.00-14.00) and the evening (20.00-22.00). The most popular program services were news, music and sports. Source: Digitag and IRT news Item added: 7th March 2006 1.73 million DTT receivers in the market According to recent reports by the DTT association Groupement TNT, approximately 1.73 million DTT receivers have been sold or rented in France during 2005. In addition it estimates that 3 million STB's will be sold in 2006. The actual penetration of DTT is 14% in the areas with service and 7% in the whole of France. Source: Digitag Item added: 23rd January 2006 DVB-T boxes head the Christmas list DVB-T boxes were a must have gift in the lead up to Christmas, boosting the number of households able to receive the new transmissions to 1.3 million, only nine months after the launch of DTT in France. Already the entry level boxes are selling at around €59, the same level as DVD players and at a level where purchasing decisions are easy. The 18 digital channels available since March will be joined by 10 new pay TV channels in 2006. Source: Digitag Item added: 9th January 2006 Parisians watch TV on Mobile phones For the last few weeks several hundred Parisians have been able to watch TV on mobile phones. Despite channel scarcity, CSA have found the frequencies necessary for four trials to take place simultaneously. Three use DVB-H in the UHF TV band and one uses DMB-T in the VHF band. The slight differences in coding between some participants is given as one of the reasons why a single multiplex is not used for all the DVB-H transmissions according to the article on 01 Net . TDF and TPS both use channel 37, while Canal+ transmits on part of an existing multiplex DVB R5 which may be used for HDTV, later in 2006. The tests will establish how many transmitters would be needed to provide a DVB-H service for Paris although plans to do so are not yet finalized. Source: 01 Net Item added: 4th January 2006 DTT reaches one million homes According to the market research institute GFK, Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) may be received in over 1,035 million French homes amounting to a penetration of 9.5% in the currently covered areas. The million plus total consists of 890,000 Set-Top-Boxes, 35,000 DTT televisions and 110,000 adapters fitted to computers. On average 40,000 adapters are being sold every week and sales increased by 85% during September and October. Source: LeFigaro Item added: 29th November 2005 Canal Plus to launch pay DTT next week Canal Plus is to launch its pay DTT service in France on 21 November according Advanced-television.com and has ordered 200,000 MPEG4 DTT decoders for roll out in the zones covered by DTT transmissions. Source: Advanced-television.com, 15th November 2005 Item added: 15th November 2005 Pay DTT launch announced, MPEG-4 testing begins, Report on accelerating DTT roll-out released Administrative details have been completed for the launch of pay-DTT services in France. A recent government decree allowing service providers to offer pay-DTT services and the CSA allocating a number of slots for each pay-DTT service has cleared the path for the launch. Canal+ is ready to launch in mid-November, by which time its MPEG-4, SDTV set-top boxes will be delivered. TPS is planning to launch services at the end of the year. Eurosport have also been given permission, by CSA, to begin experimental television transmissions using MPEG-4 in standard definition. The trial will last until Eurosport officially launches its pay-DTT services, deadline March 1st 2006. A report on accelerating the launch of DTT services has also been released and can be downloaded from the CSA website. The report highlights the conditions and requirements necessary to ensure that 85% of French residents can access DTT services by March 2007. Sources: CSA website and Digitag Item added: 8th November 2005 Coverage increased to 50% of the population The DTT service coverage increased to 50%, from the previous 35%, on October 15th, when 17 new transmitter sites came into service. The new transmitters provide DTT to Ajaccio, Bayonne, La Rhune, Bourges, Caen, Herouville, Cherbourg Digosville, Grenoble, Tour-sans-Venin, Le Havre, Harfleur, Lyon, Mont Pilat, Le Mans, Nantes, Orleans, Rheims, Hauntvilliers, St Etienne, Toulon and Toulouse. A further coverage increase is planned for June 2006 when a further 19 transmission sites begin broadcasting. Source: Advanced Television.com, 18th Oct 2005 Item added: 18th October 2005 French group backs MHP for DTT French interactive television trade group AFDESI (Association Française des Dévelopeurs, Editeurs et Fournisseurs de Services en télévision Interactive) has recommended the adoption of Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) as the common standard for interactive services on the country’s DTT channels. Source: Advanced Television.com 20th September 2005 Item added: 20th September 2005 DVB-H trials to begin in Paris CSA, the French broadcast regulator, has given its approval for four trials of TV broadcasting to mobile receivers. Three of the trials will use DVB-H and the fourth T-DMB. All of the trails are planned to take place in Paris. The first trial from TDF will start on September 15th and last for nine months. The second trial also in the same channel 37 will be led by TPS. Canal + will lead the third DVB-H trial on channel 29 for a period of nine months. Source: CSA website Item added: 19th September 2005 HDTV MPEG4 broadcast from the Eiffel Tower TPS broadcast a short HDTV movie coded in MPEG4 from its Eiffel Tower transmitter on September 14th, 2005. The HD channel was inserted in the existing multiplex and was 11Mpbs in total. The quality of the transmission was compared with the same material coded in MPEG2 at a bit rate of 18Mbps and no quality differences were reported. MPEG4 SDTV transmissions have already been authorized for all commercial DTT services in France. Source: Electronique Biz Item added: 19th September 2005 Report on mobile TV submitted to Prime Minister A report on broadcasting to mobile receivers has been submitted to the French Prime Minister. The report provides an analysis of existing technologies that will enable broadcasting to mobile receivers. It also provides an overview of the conditions necessary to ensure a large scale deployment of such services in France. The government has stated that it will encourage pilot projects with the aim of providing such services to the general public. The report calls for a commercial launch of services between the end of 2006 and 2008. According to the report, one of the major issues affecting broadcasting to mobile services is finding the necessary frequencies. As such, the report calls for the establishment of a working group that can look into these issues and submit its recommendations in 2006. It is likely that the standard selected in France to provide mobile television services will need to be made in coordination with other European countries. Report - Télévision numérique et mobilité Source: Digitag Item added: 30th August 2005 CSA authorises experimental licenses Canal+ and TPS have been authorized to proceed with transmitting MPEG-4 on their respective multiplexes ahead of the pay TV latest start date of March 1st 2006. Source: CSA website Item added: 30th August 2005 DTT roll-out defined by CSA CSA, the French broadcasting regulator has announced more details of the DTT launch. Channel numbers for the four recently licensed free to air channels where announced and they can begin broadcasting from September 1st. The four additional pay TV channels also announced, have 6-months to start broadcasting. CSA also restructured some of the existing multiplexes as well as deciding on 19 new transmission sites for Spring 2006 and another 24 for Autumn 2006. These additional sites will extend DTT coverage to two thirds of the French population by Autumn 2006. CSA also made it clear that the intention is to extend coverage of free TV channels to the whole of the population. A joint working group has been set up and its proposals on how coverage can be extended are expected by October 1st 2005. Source: CSA Item added: 25th July 2005 France adopts MPEG-4 for terrestrial HDTV In a statement issued on the 24th May 2005 the Ministry of Economy announced that the MPEG-4 (H.264) compression standard must be used for HDTV services on any terrestrial channel both pay and public. MPEG-4 is already obligatory for Pay TV operators whilst public service operators can continue to use MPEG-2 for standard definition digital terrestrial services. Source AFP Item added: 2nd June 2005 8 new national services selected for TNT The CSA has selected 8 new programs for the Télévision Numérique Terrestre (TNT) digital television platform. 4 of the 8 will be free-to-air with the remaining 4 Pay-TV services. The final license agreements for the new services are planned for completion and signature during June 2005. New frequencies or capacity within existing planned multiplexes will be negotiated when legislation allowing the use of MPEG-4 as well as the current MPEG-2 is completed. Source: CSA Item added: 10th May 2005 France launches digital terrestrial television Télévision Numérique Terrestre, the first French DTT service was launched by the French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on the 31st March 2005. Branded as La Télévision Numérique pour tous, or digital television for all, it will have three new channels initially with up to 14 free-to-air services later. At present the service is reported to be restricted to 35% of the population from 17 transmitter sites, covering Paris, Aquitaine, Bretagne, Marseille, Lille, Lyon and Toulouse. Coverage is planned to increase to 50% of the population by September and 80% by 2007. Raffarin has also been quoted as saying that 100% of the population will be covered within three years of the launch. More details at http://www.tnt-gratuite.fr Item added: 5th April 2005 CSA readies DTT coverage In its plenary meeting on 22 March, the French broadcasting regulator approved a letter for the French Prime Minister detailing coverage zones, ahead of the impending launch of DTT on 31 March. The CSA says the current aim of reaching 85 percent of the population from 115 transmission sites by 2007 is perfectly achievable, but the fate of the remaining TV viewers calls for action by the public sector. For the most part, they are people who live in mountainous or border zones beyond the reach of DTT in the coming years. In the letter, the CSA chairman Dominique Baudis calls for the creation of a working group to consider how the remaining population can gain access to digital TV, by various means (extension of DTT transmission sites, increasing transmission power, use of satellite, cable and xDSL). This working group would contain representatives of the CSA and of the government Media Development Directorate. Meanwhile, the public sector DTT channels are all being carried on the Atlantic Bird 3 satellite, which can be received throughout the country (and beyond). Source: Advanced-television.com From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris DVB-H gets everyone's attention Not only have Groupe Canal +, SFR and Nokia announced a joint DVB-H trial to 500 users but TPS also announced separately that it will be experimenting with DVB-H. The Groupe Canal trial will not only seek to define technical parameters for broadcast and reception, but will also serve as a test of consumer interest. The TPS trial includes France Telecom, Orange and Bouygues and will have around 200 mobile subscribers. A commercial launch nationwide is not expected before 2006 or 2007. The test will start in June subject to the approval of CSA. Both groups still have to obtain licenses for the trials. Source: Original info. from Advanced-Television.com FOCUS: FRANCE In DVB-SCENE issue 13, page 10, the Focus on France articles by Laurent Jabiol, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Neotion and Alexander Shulzycki, Senior Media Analyst, EBU give their views of the current situation in February/March 2005. The full pdf version of the magazine can be downloaded free of charge from the following link DVB-SCENE_Issue_13-Final.pdf Size: 1.4M bytes General Legislation in place August 2000 Updated 2004 Soft launch January 17th 2005 (noon) Full launch FTA March 31st 2005, Pay TV late 05 or early 2006 Analogue switch off January 1, 2011 (CSA April 2006) Data Population 60.1 million (UN 2003) TV households 22.3 million (2000) DTT households 2.5 million (GFK market survey Q1 2006) Cable penetration 3,708,000 (Q4, 2003, AFORM) Digital Cable households 884k (Q4, 2003, AFORM) Digital Satellite households 9 million (DVB03) Terrestrial households 64% DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation MFN and SFN Channel bandwidth Compression 5 in use, 6 planned UHF 8k 1/32** 2/3** 64QAM Mostly MFN 8 MHz MPEG-2 with MPEG-4pt.10 for Pay TV Additional services DVB-H Trials took place in Paris early in 2006 HDTV Wanted-spectrum problem MHP MHP planned ** Except mux R1 in Paris (GI=1/8, FEC=3/4) small SFN Germany DVB-H services for FIFA World Cup 28 May 2006 Next month's FIFA World Cup competition in Germany will see the start of a widescale evalution of the DVB-H system in preparation for the launch of commercial services in 2007. The German mobile network operators (E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone D2) will cooperate in putting services on air in four cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover and Munich. T-Systems will operate the DVB-H platform along with the transmitter network. 14 TV programs and 6 radio programs will be included in the service. The terminals will be provided by BenQ, Motorola, Nokia, Sagem and Samsung. One of the key aspects of this set of trial broadcasts is that the system will be compliant with DVB´s IP Datacast set of specifications. These specifications allow for the provision of such essential features as an electronic service guide (ESG), service purchase and protection (SPP) and a range of other crucial elements for a mobile TV service. As with all DVB specifications, the IP Datacast specifications are open standards and promote maximum interoperability. The DVB-H network will use QPSK with an FEC rate of 2/3. The regional media authorities in Berlin and Brandenburg (mabb), Hamburg (HAM), Niedersachsen (NLM) and Bayern (BLM) have created the necessary conditions for the trial - in close cooperation with the mobile network operators and the content providers. They are committed to working towards a rapid market introduction. Detailed information on DVB-H technology, trials and service launches can be found at www.dvb-h.org. Item added: 1st June 2006 DVB-T deployed in the Southwest DVB-T services are continuing to be deployed in the Southwest of Germany and will start on the May 17th in the Ludwigshafen and Vorderpfalz areas and on the 22nd May in Kaiserslautern, according to Hiese on-line. Transmissions also start in Mannheim, Heidelberg and Stuttgart at the same time. Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate will also be covered shortly, leaving the Saarland as the only area still to be covered. Full coverage in the Southwest is expected to be completed by 2008. Source: Heise on-line Item added: 16th May 2006 More DTT launches expected in May Stuttgart, Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Heidelberg and Kaiserslauten will be able to access DTT services around the middle of May. In the northern part of Germany, Northrein-Westphalia as well in Bavaria additional transmitter-sites will extend the current coverage of DTT services. Viewers will have access to up to 11 television program services offered by the public service broadcasters but at this stage, the commercial broadcasters have decided not to extend their given coverage on the DTT platform. The launch of DTT services will coincide with the simultaneous switch-off of analogue terrestrial television services, following the example of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which switched over in December 2005. The state of Hess will also completely switch off its analogue terrestrial platform and go completely digital on 29 May. With the upcoming World Cup, further regions in Germany will benefit from the launch of free-to-air DTT services. Source: SWR.de and Digitag DTT launches expected in Bavaria More parts of Bavaria will be covered by DTT services on the 29th May. These areas include Wurzburg and Regensburg as well as parts of Upper Palatinate, Lower Bavaria and Lower Franconia. Twelve programs from public broadcasters will be available in these areas as they are already in Munich, Southern Bavaria and Nuremburg. By the end of 2008, 90% of Germany will have access to DTT services. Source: DVB-T Bavaria Item added: 30th March 2006 "Handy-TV" project in Hamburg generates lots of DVB-H proposals A request for interest in the pilot project "Handy-TV" from the Hamburgischen Anstalt fuer neue Medien (HAM), brought in applications and statements of interest from both DVB-H and DMB proponents. The call for applications ended on February 3rd with more than 40 entries, most relating to DVB-H. In Germany DVB-H services will initially be introduced via pilot projects in Hamburg, Berlin and Hannover. Ham director Dr. Lothar Jene commented that " The pilot projects will function as door openers and the number of important players expressing interest in DVB-H is a good indication of its future success. We hope to start in three metropolitan areas within the next three months". Source: Ham press release Item added: 7th February 2006 Aachen to launch DTT services Plans have been announced for the launch of DTT services in the city of Aachen, a German city located near the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. Viewers will be able to access 12 television program services made available by public service broadcasters. Commercial broadcasters have decided against joining the launch since the launch area does include a sufficiently high number of households to be profitable. Services are expected to be launched in mid 2007. Source: Digitag and Aachener Zeitung Premiere shifts HDTV start date Premiere has delayed the launch of its new HDTV satellite service by two weeks to allow for the late delivery of its MPEG-4 capable set-top boxes for German and Austrian customers. The delay is due to the late delivery to the manufacturers of MPEG-4, HDTV decoder chips. Premiere expects the new launch date for HDTV services to be December 3rd, 2005. MPEG-4/H.264 coded TV programs in 1080i have already been broadcast since August 2005 and it is only the set-top boxes which are delaying the official launch of the new DVB-S2 based service. Source: golem.de Item added: 8th November 2005 More DTT launches in Germany DVB-T services in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region will begin on the 6th of December 2005, further expanding the coverage of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Germany. At launch only public service broadcasters will be present on the platform as local commercial broadcasters are not yet ready to participate in DTT. The deputy director of NDR, Joachim Lampe commented that DVB-T services are already popular with young people. He noted that many DT receivers have been purchased for use on home and laptop computers. Demand is expected to rise as the World Cup Championship season approaches and viewers look to more flexible viewing approaches. DTT will also be launched on the 14th December in the Osnabrueck, Lingen and Goettingen regions. Source: Zdnet Item added: 1st November 2005 Germany to expand DTT coverage Germany’s public broadcasters have committed to bring digital terrestrial television to 90% of the population. The move will take DTT out of the major conurbations and into more rural areas. By the end of the year DTT will be available to 45 million German residents, boosted by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is scheduled to launch digital services in December. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 29th September 2005 DVB-H trial in Berlin Germany's Bundesliga premier soccer league will start broadcasting games live to mobile phones at the end of September 2005 according to Reuters news agency. The pilot project involves Microsoft, operator DFL and Bundesliga. Games will be broadcast using the DVB-H standard to a limited group of users with smart phones based on Windows media software. The test phase will last until the end of the current season according to a DFL statement. Source: Reuters Item added: 13th September 2005 Analogue switched off in parts of Bavaria On August 31st 2005, the terrestrial analogue signal was switched off in Munich, Nuremburg and parts of southern Bavaria. This follows a three month simulcast period during which both digital and analogue terrestrial signals were broadcast. Viewers can access 20 television program some of them having MHP services. Source: Digitag Item added: 6th September 2005 Previous Digital Television reaches nine million TV households A recent report commissioned by the national broadcast regulator estimates that nine million TV households, 25.7% of German total, now receive television by digital means. Nearly 40% of satellite viewers do so digitally and in total 45% of all households get their TV from satellite. The report goes on to say that 10% of TV households rely on terrestrial TV and that 46% of these now receive digitally. Cable television is available in over 50% of TV households but only 10% of subscribers access digital signals. Source: Heise Online Item added: 30th August 2005 Siemens commits further to the DVB-H market On August 23rd Siemens announced that it would provide a live DVB-H service at IFA2005 in Berlin. To demonstrate "Mobile TV", Siemens will for the first time use its new DVB-H test system comprising server platform for mobile television and a handset prototype capable of receiving DVB-H services. The equipment enables mobile operators to conduct DVB-H trials with relatively little effort, for example to test the level of acceptance for Mobile TV among consumers a spokesman said. Siemens joins the growing number of influential companies backing the DVB-H system for the broadcast to mobile phones. Sources: Unwired and Slashphone Item added: 25th August 2005 Roadmap to DVB-H Services in Northern Germany announced The Media Authorities of five North German Länder last week announced their intention to work together towards the introduction of DVB-H services and published a paper supporting that position. The paper, titled Projekt DVB-H Norddeutschland, expresses their intent to smooth the way for the introduction of "Handy-TV" and to facilitate a rapid market introduction. It is hoped to fully test the technology with trial broadcasts during the 2006 World Cup Finals followed by the launch of regular services in 2007. The project grouping comprises the media authorities from the following states: Bremen , Hamburg , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein. A press release including the text of the position paper is available here: http://www.ham-online.de/details.php?id=73 (in German only) Item added: 24 August 2005 DVB-T start date for the Middle of Germany DVB-T services are planned to start in the Halle/Leipzig and Erfurt/Weimar areas of Germany on December 5th 2005. This launch is in line with the plan to launch DVB-T services all over Germany. The first launch was in the Berlin/Brandenburg area during 2002 and further launches have taken place since in Northern Germany, North Rhine Westphalia, the Rhine Mainz area and most recently at the end of May 2005 in the Munich/Nurenburg area. Introduction in the Kassel and Schwerin areas should be announced soon. The introduction in Mannheim and Stuttgart areas is at an earlier planning stage. Item added: 25th July 2005 Source: http://www.ueberallfernsehen.de Bavaria commences DTT broadcasting Pre-launch DTT test signals in Munich and Nurenburg began on the 23rd May 2005 ready for a full launch planned for the 30th May at 19:30. It is estimated that 6 million people will have access to these DTT signals. Terrestrial commercial analogue broadcasting will also end on the 30th May with public broadcasting continuing until the end of August on temporary channel assignments. Source: Digitag Item added: 23rd May 2005 DVB-T in Germany - the second set-up phase is in full swing Following the successful expansion of the DVB-T network in Germany's capital Berlin, the next phase is now underway. Since 24 May 2004, up to 20 TV programs on five channels can be received in the Cologne / Bonn area, and up to 16 TV programs on four channels each in Hanover / Braunschweig and Bremen / Unterweser. In November 2004, additional channels will start operation; the areas to be covered include the Dusseldorf area / Ruhr district, Hamburg, Lubeck, Kiel and the Rhine-Main area. The final expansion of this phase in these areas, with up to 24 programs, is scheduled for April 2005. The launch date for DVB-T in Bavaria is planned for 31 May 2005. In the course of 2005, the network will be further expanded in the reception areas of Rostock / Schwerin, Kassel, Erfurt / Weimar, Halle / Leipzig, Ludwigshafen / Mannheim as well as Stuttgart. Source: News from Rohde & Schwarz Number 183 (2004/III) For more up to date information on deployment in Germany try http://www.ueberallfernsehen.de General Legislation in place Spring 2002 Soft launch November 2002 Full launch March 2003 (region by region) Analogue switch off started - to be completed by 2010 Data Population 82.5 million (UN2003) TV households 33.9 mill (GSDZ Stand der Digitalisai. 07/2005) Cable penetration 51.7% (GSDZ, 07/2005) Satellite penetration 43.1% (GSDZ, 07/2005) Terrestrial TV 9.7% (GSDZ, 07/2005) Digital Terrestrial house. 4.4% (GSDZ, 07/2005) Digital Cable households 5.0% (GSDZ, 07/2005) Digital Satellite households 16.7% (GSDZ, 07/2005) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN 4 initially UHF and VHF 8k 1/8 2/3 & 3/4 16QAM indoor, mobile & fixed SFN & MFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth 10kW VHF, 120kW UHF MHP being adopted 8MHz UHF & 7MHz VHF Greece Pilot SFN network around Athens ERT, the National Broadcaster is continuing to make progress with its DTT pilot projects. Most recently an SFN network has been put into operation covering the greater Athens area. Three transmitters with nominal output powers of 1,500W are used to provide home reception to houses using existing roof aerials, on UHF channel 48. A guard interval of 1/8 and an FEC of 3/4 have been used recently but this is subject to change during the pilot period. Source: ERT Item added: 20th June 2006 Greece starts DTT transmissions ERT began broadcasting three DTT programs on January 6th 2006, according to an article on the website news.ert.gr Initially three pilot channels with specialist content will be broadcast. The first is targeted at disabled people, the second will broadcast films and the third is dedicated to sports programs. The initial transmissions will be extended to cover 65% of the Greek population by March 2006. Transmissions in the Attica region are on UHF channel 48, in Thessaloniki channel 56 and in Thessaly channel 53. The pilot transmissions are free-to-view and only the STB has to be purchased according to ERT board member Giorgos Chouliaras. Source: news.srt.gr Item added: 17th January 2006 Hong Kong The China Peoples Daily on line (July 10th, 2004) commented that Hong Kong will adopt the DVB-T system if a Chinese standard is not promulgated on the mainland before the end of 2006. Hong Kong expects terrestrial television to be broadcast throughout the area by 2007. For more information on the situation in Hong Kong look at the following links http://www.citb.gov.hk/ctb/eng/press/pr09072004.htm http://www.citb.gov.hk/ctb/eng/broad/pdf/DTT.pdf Hungary Debate over digital TV bill hinges on regulation of content A bill on digital television in Hungary is being contested by those who wish to see the mediums broadcast content overseen by state authorities rather than liberalized according to an article on the Budapest Business Journals website. It says that speedy approval of the bill could give Hungary an advantage when frequency allocations are made in May and June. The debate is expected to continue. Source: Budapest Business Journal Item added: 25th January 2006 http://www.bbj.hu/?module=displaystory&story_id=255557&format=html Background Although DVB-T pilot trails began in Budapest during 1999 the transition to DTT has been slow. However a new electronic communication act replacing the existing telecom law is hoped to speed up this process. The law has already resulted in the creation of a new regulatory body called the National Radio and Television Board (ORTT) and the provision of a new grant to Antenna Hungária . The grant enabled the DTT project started in Budapest back in 1999 to be extended to Kabhegy near Lake Balaton in May 2002. According to Antenna Hungária a free-to-air pilot broadcast with 10 programs in two multiplexes will be launched during the last quarter of 2004 covering the Budapest region. For more up to date information look at the Antenna Hungária website http://www.ahrt.hu/en/services/1FCC9EB7E1AF428A89E065D4B74090B9.php Frequency: ERP: Polarization: Mode: Carrier modulation: Inner code rate: Guard interval: Budapest UHF 43 and 51, Kab-hegy UHF 64 1 kW horizontal 8k 64QAM 2/3 1/32 India DVB-H in India The national broadcaster in India, Doordashan, will shortly start trials of mobile TV using DVB-H technology. On January 30th the broadcaster issued a new set of equipment tenders that specifically includes "DVB-H Equipment" and "DVB-H receivers". The tender can be viewed on their website in the Tender Notice section. Doordashan already has DVB-T pilot broadcasts on air in four cities including Dehli, having chosen the standard for digital terrestrial television in 1999. Source: DVB-H online Item added: 20th February 2006 Background India chose the DVB-T standard for Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting in July 1999 after 18 months of study and testing. The state broadcaster Doordarshan started a pilot trial in Delhi during 2002 which is extending to Calcutta, Mumbai and Chenai. Indonesia So far no time frame has been announced for the standard or implementation of DTTB. Source: ABU Technical Committee, Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. Iran Iran chose DVB-T as its terrestrial digital TV system after extensive technical study. The details and conclusions of this study by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) organization can be found in the July-August 2001 edition of Audio Video and Broadcasting Studio Systems. http://www.studio-systems.com/Broadcasting/JulyAug2001/Comparison/101.htm Some pilot trials are expected to take place during 2004. Ireland Ireland aims to meet EU 2012 Switchover deadline Announcing details of the infrastructure for the pilot testing of DTV in Ireland, Noel Dempsey, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, said that Ireland should aim for the EU deadline of 2012 for a complete switchover to digital TV. The trial is now planned to start in August and BT Communications (Ireland) will provide a multiplexing and distribution service, with NEC (UK) supplying and installing the transmission and combining system. The test infrastructure will provide the framework for technical testing and spectrum planning, as well as holding demos of broadcast channels and services and is intended as the precursor to a national rollout of DTT. The testing period is due to last for two years and broadcasts will transmit from Three Rock in Dublin as well as a site at Clermont Carn in Co Louth. More details of the pilot can be found on the website http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Broadcasting/Digital+Television/Digital+Television.htm Source: Siliconrepublic.com Item added: 16th May 2006 Shortlist for DTT launch Six applicants have now been short listed for the launch of Ireland's 24 month DTT pilot. The short listed companies are Arqiva, BT, Chorus, National Grid Wireless (previously Crown Castle), Siemens and Simac. Transmissions from the Three Rock site in Dublin and Clermont Cam in County Louth are expected to begin mid-2006. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 29th November 2005 Israel Bezeq and Runcom have signed a cooperation agreement to test a trial implementation of the DVB-RCT standard. The companies said that the cooperation agreement will enable the parties to be the first in the Israeli market to implement and test a system solution, based on Runcom's orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) DVB-RCT technology. This will enable broadcasters and satellite operators such as the Israel Broadcast Authority (IBA) and Yes to deliver fixed and mobile interactive services over a digital terrestrial platform in the VHF and UHF frequency band. A joint field trial using Bezeqs two existing DVB-T test transmitters will take place during the first half of 2004 enabling it and content providers to learn digital broadcast technology. After licensing Bezeq plans to be "positioned to serve as a subcontractor of digital broadcast operators in Israel" Source www.globes.co.il Wednesday January 21st, 2004 Italy Switch off in Sardinia and Val D’Aosta set for 2008 The Minister for Communication, Paolo Gentiloni, has announced the postponement of analogue switch off from 31 July to 1st March 2008 in Sardinia and to the 1st October 2008 in theValle d’Aosta. The decision was made because large sectors of the population have not yet obtained decoders for DTT. Gentiloni went on to say that “the switchover phase from analogue to digital terrestrial will be longer than planned and that the government will work together with broadcasting companies in each region to achieve the new dates. Firm commitment is also needed to expand the range of digital TV products currently on offer” In order to keep to the new “switch-off” deadline, the Ministry of Communications, the Sardinia Region, the Valle d’Aosta Region and the DGTV have signed two new protocols of understanding which redefine reciprocal commitments to implement all that is required for the switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting. Source: Communicazioni.it Item added: 4th July 2006 http://www.comunicazioni.it/en/index.php?IdNews=55 Firm DTT action called for ! The Communication Minister, Paulo Gentiloni, has called for government action on DTT policy in the next few weeks. He went on to say "Italy needs to adopt a serious switchover strategy with regard to digital terrestrial, which means more than a never-ending series of deadlines which are continually put off " Following the formal review of the results from the pilots in Sardinia and Val D’Aosta, the government may issue a ministerial decree on analogue switch-off. Both pilots are expected to be completed by 31st July 2006. Main source: advanced–television.com Item added: 26th June 2006 3 Italia launches commercial DVB-H services "Walk TV" services were planned for launch today the 1st June. Walk TV is the first commercial DVB-H service launched in Europe and viewers can access services from RAI, Mediaset, SKY, and LA3. Viewers will also be able to watch coverage of the FIFA World Cup. Source: 3 Italia press release in English Item added: 1st June 2006 http://www.tre.it/assets/download/LA3_LANCIO_ENG.pdf Telecom Italia to launch DVB-H services in June Telecom Italia announced recently that it will start selling mobile broadcast services using DVB-H in June. The handsets will be supplied by South Korean company Samsung. TV programmes from Canale 5, Retequattro, Italia Uno, LA7 and MTV Italia, plus Serie A TIM and Champions League fotball matches will be available live to subscribers using the Samsung SGH-P290 handset. The units will also allow access to UMTS services as well as make calls and access content using 3G. The company expects to achieve a service coverage of 75% of the population by the end of the year and predicts 1 million subscribers by the end of 2008. Source: TotalTelecom Item added: 1st May 2006 Mediaset and Vodafone Italia join for mobile TV Media company Mediaset and mobile operator Vodafone Italia have signed a DVB-H agreement to accelerate and boost the commercial rollout of mobile terrestrial digital TV using DVB-H in Italy. Vodafone Italia has agreed to use Mediaset's multiplex DVB-H capacity for a period of five years with an option for a further five years. Vodafone Italia will make its technology and broadcast infrastructure available to help complete the network rollout during 2006. Source: DMeurope.com Item added: 25th April 2006 Broadcast regulator AGCOM announces plans for an all-digital broadcast environment The Italian Communications Authority, AGCOM, has issued a declaration regarding its objectives for planning an all-digital broadcast environment. AGCOM will compile a national register of terrestrial broadcast frequencies. The national registry will allow a review of the initial frequency allocation plan established in 2002 and will be used in to help plan analogue switch-off. The national register will also be used to plan for the allocation of additional multiplexes that could become available following analogue switch-off. AGCOM hopes that a total of 12 multiplexes will be available, dependant on international agreement. AGCOM has called for increased controls to ensure that multiplex operators provide independent content providers and broadcasters with access to 40% of the multiplex capacity. It is a possiblity that AGCOM will introduce an auctioning process for the allocation of any frequencies that become available at switch-off. AGCOM is also planning to put together regulations for DVB-H use. Source: AGCOM website Item added: 6th April 2006 3 Italia announce a June 2006 for its DVB-H service 3 Italia the Telecom operator has been progressing its plan to launch a mobile television service called 'La Tre' in time for the Word Cup. The service which uses the DVB-H standard will initially provide 15 TV 'channels' including services from Mediaset, Sky and of course live World Cup coverage. An increase to 20 channels is planned for the end of the year. A subscriber base of 600,000 is expected by the end of the year. Source: 3 Italia Item added: 23rd February 2006 http://www.tre.it/assets/download/Comunicato_DVBH_ITA.pdf Terrestrial HDTV at Turin Olympics Visitors to Turin for the Winter Olympic Games will be able to view live HDTV pictures transmitted over the RAI DVB-T network at various points around the city. The demonstration will utilize the very latest Advanced Video Coding technology. Source: DVB Item added: 13th February 2006 Analogue switch-off postponed until 2008 In a declaration made at the Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels, the Italian Minister of Communications, Mario Landolfi, announced that Italy has postponed its analogue switch-off to 2008. The government had initially planned to end analogue terrestrial television transmissions on 31 December 2006. Source: Digitag Item added: 7th February 2006 Analogue Switch-off in Sardinia and Valle d'Aoste postponed The switch-off date for analogue TV services in Sardinia and the Valle d'Aoste has changed from the 31st January until the 15th March 2006 during the first phase of the digitisation process. Source: dgtv Item added: 7th February 2006 3 Italia acquires channel for nationwide DVB-H service 3 Italia has signed an agreement with the Profit Group to acquire Channel 7 according to Advanced-Television.com. Channel 7 holds a network licence for national digital TV distribution on terrestrial frequencies. The deal makes 3 Italia the first Italian mobile video company able to offer DVB-H services on its own network. The company will implement the DVB-H network for its 4.8 million customers starting in the second half of 2006. Both DVB-H combined with UMTS will be used. Source: Advanced-Television.com Item added: 29th November 2005 Conference reviews DTT progress At the Third National Conference on DTT held in Vicenza, Italian leaders discussed the current DTT progress and plans for the future. The conference was organized by the Fondazione Ugo Bordoni. The first phase of analogue switch-off is ready to begin in Sardinia and Val d'Aosta. On 31 January, analogue terrestrial transmissions will end for 70% of the population. Full analogue switch-off will take place on 21 July. The deputy minister for communications, Paolo Romani, noted that, as in previous years, €110 million has been included in the 2006 budget in order to help households purchase interactive set-top boxes. It is likely, however, that the amount of the subsidy will decrease from €70 to €50 per household. In addition, Romani also announced that the next region for analogue switch-off will likely be Friuli Venezia Giulia. Source; Digitag Item added: 11th October 2005 2006 Launch For DVB-H Services In Italy Announced Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) and media group Mediaset announced on Thursday 6th October 2005, an agreement to broadcast live television to mobile phones from 2006 using DVB-H technology. TIM said it would provide broadcasts of Mediaset's three TV channels and football on its top-of-the-range mobile phones for five years from 2006. This follows reports that Verizon will also begin DVB-H services across the USA next year using a network built and operated by Crown Castle. Source: DVB Item added: 9th Oct 2005 Previous Telecom Italia Cartapiu selects Irdeto Telecom Italia Media is to use Irdeto Access content security for its digital terrestrial pay-TV operation, according to Broadband TV News. A similar scheme run by Mediaset, using a security system from Nagravision, is reported to have already placed 400,000 cards with distributors. The Irdeto Access system will be used for pay-per-event viewing of matches from nine series A football clubs. The cards can be "re-charged" over the phone after initial purchase from local retailers. Main source: Broadband TV News, May 13th 2005 Item added: 17th May 2005 Analogue Switch-off in Sardinia and Valle d'Aoste The local governments of Sardinia and Valle d'Aoste have signed an agreement with the national Ministry of Communications to switch-off their analogue signals by January 2006. As part of the agreement, the local governments will work together with broadcasters to put in place the necessary conditions to allow for analogue switch-off. Source: Digitag Item added: 26th April 2005 Previous RTD Launch new DTT channels and iTV services underpinned by DigiSoft technology Milan, Italy, January 27th 2005 Today in Milan, Reti Televisive Digitali (RTD) officially launched two new Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) channels and new MHP interactive TV (iTV) applications and services based on the DigiHost platform from Irish iTV software company DigiSoft.TV. RTD already provides 24-hour coverage to an area of Italy from Lombardy to Milan, Como, Varese and Pavia, with a population in excess of five million people. At the launch ceremony, Raimondo Lagostena, the President of partner companies, Profit Group and Odeon TV, Italy's fourth largest broadcaster, described the rapidly changing environment of Italian TV as analogue TV broadcasting comes to an end and fifty-eight million Italian citizens make the switch to Digital TV. Source:Digisoft http://www.digisoft.tv/news/pressreleases/press14.html Official Launch of DTT Italy officially launched DVB-T services on the 1st January 2004, initially providing some services to 50% of the population. By the end of 2004, 5 multiplexes should be in operation, 2Mux's from RAI with 9-10 programs, 1 Mux from Mediaset with 5 programs, 1 Mux from Telecom/TV International with 2 programs and 1 Mux operated by "Holland Co-ordinator and Services" on frequencies released by the former Tele+. The coverage will be extended to 70% of provincial capitals during 2005. MHP Box subsidy In another initiative the government is pushing MHP by making a subsidy of 120-150 million Euros available to ensure the supply of 900,000 MHP enabled STBs. For recent STB prices comparisons look at http://www.trovaprezzi.it/categoria.aspx?id=79&libera=MHP General Pilot trial 1998 on (Roma, Torino & Palermo) Legislation in place 2001 modified 2003 Soft launch 2003/4 Full launch 1st January 2004 Analogue switch off 2008 Data Population 57.4 million (UN 2003) TV households 21.2 million (2000) Cable penetration 300,000 (2003) DTT households 3.3 million (Screen Digest Feb. 2006) Digital Cable households 300,000 Digital Satellite households 5 million (2003 Digitag03) DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Modulation Guard FEC Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Channel bandwidth 5 (2004) UHF and VHF 8k 64QAM 1/32 2/3 for UHF, 3/4 for VHF Free view and pay channels MFN MHP UHF/8MHz, VHF/7MHz (8MHZ planned for VHF later) Latvia DTT plans for Latvia are reported to be on hold due to the proposed sale of the countries Digital Radio and TV Centre (DLTRC) and other problems. Prior to this DLTRC were planning for 6 DVB-T multiplexes in total using MHP and providing for some mobile services. Testing has been taking place in Riga since 2002 and it was planned to launch commercial services in late 2003 or early 2004. By 2006 it was expected that 97% of the population would be covered and all analogue services would be switched off. Hopefully the current situation will be resolved and Latvia will be back on track with the introduction of DTT soon. Barry Tew, 6th October 2004 Lithuania DTT subscription service license awarded Broadband TV news reports that a DTT license has been awarded to Lithuanian MMDS operator UAB Mikrovisatos TV. The company , based in Kaunas, is expected to launch a 24 channel subscription service in Vilnius in six months time and gradually extend it to the rest of the country. Source: Broadband TV News Central and East Europe Feb 24th 2006 Item added: 27th February 2006 Previous Lithuania awards Digital Terrestrial TV Licenses The recent competition for DTV (DVB-T) licenses attracted four participants. On the 27th June 2005, two winners where announced. One license to create two national SFN networks was granted to the Lithuanian Radio and TV Centre and the second for two further SFN’s was awarded to Lithuanian telecom. According to a government document "Resolution on Adoption of the Model of Switchover to Digital television in Lithuania" dated 25th November 2004, DTT will be developed both in Band III and Bands IV & V. No Less than 5 unencrypted (free of charge) programs must be broadcast through all DTT networks, including 2 programs of the public institution Lithuanian national Radio and Television. The expansion of the TV networks will be done in stages starting in the biggest cities. By the 30th June DTT transmitters capable of 20 TV programs should be installed in Vilnius and then in five of the biggest cities with a capability of 16 programs by the end of 2007. At the beginning of 2009 at least one DTV network is intended to cover 95% of the population. Switchover to a complete digital service must begin in 2012 on a regional basis but a final date for completion has not been announced. Read More:Resolution Item added: 4th July 2005 Background DTT update April 2005 DVB-T pilot transmissions in Vilnius started during 2003 and ended in 2004. Subsequently, in late 2004, commercial broadcasting began using the same transmitter. As of April 2005 it is reported that a total of 5 programs are being broadcast, 2 are free to air and the remaining 3 are coded by the Conax system. In the near future a tender for licenses will be announced and it is expected that two will be issued. The plan is that by June 2006, 8 DTT programs will be broadcast in Vilnius. This coverage will be extended to Klaipeda, Siauliai, Panevezys and Kaunas by the end of 2007. Source: Lithuanian radio & TV centre, 29th April 2005 Luxembourg DTT services started Nationwide DTT services have been launched in Luxembourg using a single multiplex. Viewers can access 6 television program services, three in French (RTL TVI, Club RTL and Plug TV) and three in Dutch (RTL4, RTL5 and RTL7). A 6 month trial service of RTL Télé Letzëbuerg has also been launched. Services are broadcast free-to-air and use the MPEG-2 video compression standard. With the launch of DTT services, the analogue terrestrial transmission of RTL TVI, RTL4 and RTL5 have been switched off. Source: Broadband TV News and Digitag Item added: 25th April 2006 Background Following a study, DVB-T test transmissions started on July 1st 2002. This covered Luxembourg city and the surrounding area with a single multiplex. The transmitter with and erp of 2kW is configured for 8k, 64QAM, 2/3 code rate and a guard interval of 1/16. Two multiplexes are being planned in an SFN configuration for both fixed and mobile services. It is expected that field tests of portable and mobile reception will take place soon when two additional transmitters are added making a three transmitter SFN. At this time different transmission modes will be tested. (Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl) Item added: 6th October 2004 Macedonia According to information supplied by the Broadcasting Council for the Republic of Macedonia (SRD), the country began its first experimental DTT transmissions on 14 December. Employing a 100W transmitter owned by Public Enterprise "Macedonian Broadcasting" and supplied by IMP (Slovenia), along with coders and multiplex from Tandberg, they are distributing public broadcaster MRTS’s three channels and a satellite service to Skopje and surrounding area. The possibility of transmitting in two or more languages on one video signal is seen as a distinct advantage in the country, where aside from Macedonian 25% of the population speak Albanian. Although the public is being given the to opportunity watch the DTT transmissions in retail outlets in Skopje, there is still no strategy for DTT and therefore unclear when a commercial service will be launched. Sources: www.digitag.org and Broadband TV News Barry Tew 10th January 2005 Malaysia Minister confirms Malaysian DTT trial Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin confirmed on the 29th March that Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) would begin its digital television broadcasting trial run from September. He said that the trial will continue for 6 months until February 2007 for five hours daily from 7pm to midnight. During the trial, DTT will be broadcast on three channels, RTM1, RTM2 and a new channel to be introduced. The trial will take place in the Klang valley, as previously reported and 1000 selected homes will be issued with a set top box dependant on fitting pre-defined viewer criteria. Various tests and studies will be carried out during the DVB-T trial period including interactive services. Source: Daily Express (Malaysia) Item added: 11th April 2006 http://www.dailyexpress.com/my/print.cfm?NewsID=41096 Previous Malaysian Digital TV trial to start in September 2006 Malaysia will start its trial program for digital television in September with an initial funding of RM75million. Deputy Information minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai went on to say that the funding allocation would allow RTM to buy digital equipment for its transmission centre as well as the digital TV transmitter system. The trial will start in the Klang valley under a one year pilot project and then expanded nationwide. HDTV trials will also take place in 2009 according to the plan. Analog services are expected to be closed in 2015. Source: Malaysian National News Agency, BERNAMA Item added: 18th January 2006 http://www.bernama.com/ Malaysian digital TV trial program Malaysia will launch a digital TV (DTV) trial program, in mid 2006, to pave the way for the national digitalization drive, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Information Lim Siang Chai said on October 5th (2005). Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) will lead the trial, which will cover 500,000 households in the capital Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas and last approximately 1 year. The government will provide some families with one of the 2000 set-top boxes/digital receivers to conduct studies on viewer acceptance. The government has proposed analogue shutdown in phases from 2008, finalizing in 2015 when all analogue TV transmissions will have ceased. Source: People's Daily Online Item added: 18th October 2005 http://english.people.com.cn/200510/06/text20051006_212641.html Malaysia announces DVB-T for its digital terrestrial TV trial At the third Asean Digital Broadcasting (ADB) meeting, held on the 29th August in Brunei, Radio Television Malaysia announced that it had chosen DVB-T as the transmission standard for its forthcoming trial. The main thrust of the meeting was to share knowledge and experience and also plan the transition to a common digital terrestrial television standard in the Asean region. More than 50 delegates from seven Asean countries attended the meeting namely Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines. Source: Borneo Bulletin Item added: 30th August 2005 http://www.brunet.bn/news/bb/tue/aug30h10.htm Background Malaysia has yet to formally announce its choice of a standard for DTTB. Indications are that DVB-T will be the choice but a formal decision is still pending. According to the ABU Technical Committee, RTM intends to start digital transmission in 2004 in Klang Valley. This will be followed by regional stations in all states from 2005 to 2010. National coverage is expected by 2014. The Multimedia Commission issued a discussion paper in April 2003 seeking industry feedback on DTTB coverage, service and the migration from analogue to digital. All comments had to be in by the end of June and the final report is still to be published. Another study commissioned by the Government of Malaysia is nearing completion. Industry inputs from major players have included recommendations to adopt DVB-T with DVB-MHP as the choice for middleware. Source DVB-Scene 08 More up to date information can be found at http://www.mcmc.gov.my Of particular interest is the Papers section of the website where a slide presentation entitled "Discussion Paper on Concepts for the Introduction of Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast (DTTB)"dated June 12th 2003 can be found. Malta Malta begins its first DTT service on July 1st Multiplus will start a commercial DVB-T DTT service on July 1st 2005 and supplying both the set top box and an installation check out using the existing antenna. More information is available on the Multiplus website. Source: Multiplus Item added: 28th June 2005 http://www.multiplus.com.mt/ Previous MCA in Malta assigns frequencies to two digital terrestrial operators. On the 11th May 2005, the MCA (Malta Communications Authority) assigned access Rights of Use of Radio Frequencies in the UHF Band for the development and implementation of digital terrestrial Television transmission networks to Maltacom Plc and Multiplus Ltd. Each operator will be assigned eight channels on lease for eight years, with the possibility of an extension for a further eight. The assignments are the outcome of a process initiated in March 2004. Maltacom and Multiplus will be expected to achieve nationwide coverage within 18 months of the assignments taking place. Source: Malta Communication AuthorityItem added: 19th May 2005. http://www.mca.org.mt/news/show.asp?id=265 Big interest in Malta digital TV trials The operators of a planned digital TV service in Malta have described as overwhelming the public response to a request for participation in Digital Terrestrial TV trials. Multiplus' website received more than 4,000 expressions of interest in the first week, company officials said. Multiplus will be operating a wireless Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) network using the DVB-T system in the near future. Public trials are expected to start in the coming weeks. "We are extremely grateful for the positive response we've received," Jan Spiteri, CEO of Multiplus said. "However, we would also like to point out that anyone who is not included in the trials will be first in line when our service is launched. Meanwhile, we encourage all interested parties who have not yet registered to do so via our website." Test sites are currently being selected and Multiplus will be informing all those who have been chosen by the end of this week. Each participant will be supplied with a fully interactive set-top box as well as a smart card and feedback will be requested by Multiplus on a weekly basis. www.multiplus.com.mt Source: http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=174784 Mauritius Slow start for DTT The recent Soft-launch of DTT in Mauritius has led to a slow take up of Set Top Boxes. Lack of public awareness and week content are cited as contributory factors in a comprehensive article by lexpress.mu A further major stalling factor is that the original boxes, imported, were not compatible with the services being broadcast and had to be returned. The current DTT platform offers 6 television program services, BBC World, TV5, China Central TV 9, Doordarshan (DD) India, DD Bharati and B4U. Further services including MBC 1 are expected and an increase from 95 to 100% coverage by March. The potential market is said to be 350,000 homes. Source: Lexpress.com Item added: 25th January 2006 DTT services on air in Mauritius The Soft-launch of DTT services using DVB-T takes place today the 30th September at 8 o'clock in the evening. This exciting step initiates the start of Terrestrial Digital Television services in Mauritius. Source: MCML Item added: 30th September 2005 Recent DTT services in Mauritius could start in two months An article in L'Express says that Free-to-air Digital Terrestrial Television services could start in Mauritius during the next two months. Doordarshan, BBC World and TV5 would be among the six free services planned for launch on the single DTT multiplex, which has covered 70% of the territory with test transmissions since 2003. Fareed Jangeerkhan, recently appointed as the new president of MBC has asked the government to extend this coverage to 90% of the territory and has also said that facilitating these new DTT services is his top priority. Government plans to privatize the existing channels offered by MBC may delay the proposed DTT launch. Source: L'Express Item added: 29th September 2005 http://www.lexpress.mu/display_article.php?news_id=50096 Previous New company hopes to launch DTT services in Mauritius According to an article in l'Express, reported on the Digitag website, Maxime King, head of London Satellite Systems (LSS) hopes to launch a DTT service in early 2006 and reach 30.000 households within the first 2 months. LSS has offered satellite services since 1998 according to the article. It is said that the government is delaying the launch of DTT services and this has prompted King to act. Original source: Digitag MultiCarrier(Mauritius Ltd.), MCML where given official notice to begin a pilot trial of DTT in August 2003 and are currently broadcasting a single multiplex. In April 2004 the government gave the green light for a soft launch of DTT planned to take place by August 2004. On the 15th June 2004 the Independent Broadcast Authority invited expressions of interest for private TV operators and content providers for MCML's network. MCML's, a government owned company, has the sole rights to carry out terrestrial broadcasting in Mauritius at present. MCML WEBSITE Item added: 25th August 2005 http://www.multi-carrier.net/news1.asp Mauritius chooses DVB-T The government of Mauritius chose DVB-T for future digital terrestrial television services in 1999. In 2001 Mauritius Broadcasting (MBC) commissioned TDF to carry out a pilot trial which took place during 2001 and early 2002. The intention is to make full use of the Interactive capabilities of DVB-T as well as using it to deploy Internet to those areas which are not yet covered. More detailed information on DTT progress in Mauritius can be found at http://www.multi-carrier.net Moldova DVB-T test transmissions were started in September 2003 from a single transmitter. A second transmitter was added in October 2003 broadcasting four programs. (Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl) Myanmar Myanmar chooses DVB-T for digital terrestrial TV standard At the third Asean Digital Broadcasting (ADB) meeting, held on the 29th August in Brunei, it was announced that Myanmar as well as Singapore have chosen DVB-T for its digital terrestrial transmission broadcasting standard. The main thrust of the meeting was to share knowledge and experience and also plan the transition to a common digital terrestrial television standard in the Asean region. More than 50 delegates from seven Asean countries attended the meeting namely Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines. Source: Borneo Bulletin Item added: 30th August 2005 http://www.brunet.bn/news/bb/tue/aug30h10.htm Namibia MultiChoice Update In a recent article, published in the DVB Scene, Martin Ungerer, Engineering Manager of MultiChoice Africa, filled in details of the recent Namibia DTT project. The service is based on the 8K format and transmits six encrypted services to approximately 3000 subscribers in Namibia's capital Windhoek. An FEC of 2/3 and a 60 watt VHF transmission on Channel 13 provides a very rugged system to cater for the possibility of inferior quality home installed antenna systems. The test bed is an ideal way to gain knowledge for future projects. The encryption is done at the head-end in Johannesburg, South Africa and the EMM's (Entitlement Management Messages) and ECM's (Entitlement Control Message) along with the services are sent via satellite to Namibia. The full article can be seen in the June DVB Scene, edition 14, just click on the following link http://www.dvb.org/documents/newsletters/DVB-SCENE_Issue_13-Final.pdf Previous MultiChoice Launches DTT in Namibia MultiChoice on 18 February 2005 celebrated the formal launch of Digital Terrestrial Television in Southern Africa. The honorable minister of Information and Broadcasting in Namibia Mr Nangolo Mbumba cut the ribbon at the transmitter site and opened for operations of what is thought to be the first commercial DTT broadcast in Southern Africa. “I am glad that MultiChoice, which is the leading digital satellite broadcaster over Africa, has chosen Windhoek to launch this system as a pilot, the first in Africa, - putting Windhoek subscribers at the cutting edge of television innovation” Mbumba said. The official launch on the 18th February 2005 marks the conclusion of the successful and ambitious analogue switch-off plan and migration to digital. Speaking at the launch ceremony Mr Kobus Bezuidenhout, General Manager MultiChoice Namibia remarked that he was especially proud that Namibia was selected as the first DTT broadcast site and underlined the enabling regulatory framework that made this project possible. Discussing some benefits of DTT, Nolo Letele CEO MultiChoice South Africa remarked that “the quality of the broadcast is better, especially the audio which is comparable to CD quality sound” and “its easier for the consumer to tune in”. Letele highlighted that “in the past an analogue transmitter gave one channel per frequency, while the new digital system gives six channels per frequency”. The technical switch-over took place on 4 February 2005 when the analogue pay TV service was switched off and subscribers seamlessly migrated on the Digital Terrestrial Television. “We literally in a time-frame of 20 minutes switched-off analogue and switched on digital” said Seven Foster, DTT specialist with signal distributor Orbicom. Using the same spectrum as previously used for one analogue television channel the new DTT system delivers: M-Net; SuperSport 1; SABC Africa; Discovery; and Channel O. Thanks to Gerhard Petrick for the information Item added: 22nd February 2005 Netherlands Dutch telco KPN to acquire Nozema Services Dutch telco KPN and the Dutch government have reportedly reached an agreement in which KPN will be cleared to acquire all shares in broadcast transmission company Nozema Services for €75m. With the acquisition of Nozema, KPN expects to roll out its nationwide digital TV service earlier than planned, with roll-out now planned for completion by late 2006. Through the acquisition KPN also acquires Nozema's 40 per cent stake in Digitenne, doubling KPN's own 40 per cent stake. KPN currently has over 100,000 digital TV customers through a Digitenne package; with the acquisition, KPN obtains Digitenne’s additional 60,000 customers. These 160,000 subscribers reportedly make up around 2 per cent of the Dutch TV market. Source: DM Europe Item added: 16th December 2005 http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=11767 Previous Analogue switch-off in 2006 for PBS stations The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced that the Dutch public broadcast services (Nederland 1, Nederland 2 and Nederland 3) will cease analogue terrestrial transmission in 2006. It is estimated that only 77,000 households still rely on terrestrial analogue platforms at a cost of €11 million per year. Source: DM Europe Item added: 19th September 2005 KPN Tests Mobile TV KPN started its first field trial of interactive digital television to a mobile device on the 7th July 2005. KPN are holding the trial in the Hague together with its partners Nozema Services and Digitenne, supported by TNO. KPN plan to test various technical aspects of the service during the first few weeks of operation. A more extensive trial with several hundred users will start later in the year. The DVB-T broadcasting infrastructure already being used by KPN and Digitenne will be used for the trial. The images to mobile phones will be transmitted using DVB-H and received on Nokia 7710 media devices fitted with a DVB-H receiver. Depending on the results of the pilot, KPN expects to bring mobile digital television to market during 2006. Source:Unstrung Item added: 7th July 2005 http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=76875 Scarlet to offer DVB-T programs Telecom provider Scarlet is reported to be launching a digital TV subscription service. The DVB-T service uses the existing Digitenne network was planned to start on the 16th April 2005. Source: http://www.telecompaper.com See also: http://www.digitenne.nl General Pilot trial 1998 Legislation in place 1999 Soft launch April 2003 Full launch November 2003 Analogue switch off 2004 start completed by end 2006 Data Population 16.1 million (UN 2003) TV households 6.7 million (2000) Cable penetration 6.2 mill subs (Euromedia Q4, 04) Digital TV coverage 2.7 million (Digitenne Q4-2004) DTT households 160 thousand Digitenne. (DM Europe) Digital Cable households 100 thousand (Euromedia) Digital Satellite household 500 thousand (2003) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth 5-6 planned after switch off UHF only 8k 1/8 2/3 64QAM indoor rod ant./portable/fixed MFN's and local SFN's 10kW MHP planned by some services 8MHz New Zealand Free-to-air Digital TV by early next year Viewers throughout New Zealand will soon have access to free-to-air digital television and a choice of 18 channels it was announced during a press conference in Wellington on June 15th. A Hybrid system is planned using both Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting to cover the whole country as soon as possible. The DTT coverage is expected to be 75% and will hopefully be extended to cover the whole population when funding permits. The replicated signal available from satellite will enable the whole population to receive the new channels but the view at present is that having to rely on a satellite only broadcasting is too risky. Satellite failure would be catastrophic to broadcasting and for this reason Terrestrial broadcasting is still seen as the major means of digital TV delivery in the near future. Six of the channels will be operated by TVNZ, six by CanWest and the remaining six by other operators. It is expected that 75% DTT coverage will be achieved in 12 to 18 months and analogue switch off in 6 to 10 years. The majority of the conference can be viewed by clicking a link on the TVNZ website. Source: TVNZ Item added: 16th June 2006 http://digital.tvnz.co.nz/ Progress towards Freeview DTT continues Steve Maharey, The Broadcast Minister, has accepted a paper proposing a Freeview DTT model for New Zealand which would be similar to the one used in the UK. The paper, presented by a group of media companies suggests a jointly run DTT platform. The group calls itself the Freeview group and the members include TVNZ, TV3, Maori Television and Radio New Zealand. Maharey is reported as saying that the cabinet will begin consultation on the issue next month and a decision should be made on how to go forward in July. With a positive decision development of the DTT service could begin later in the year. Main source: Digitag Item added: 1st May 2006 Free-to-air services likely to go ahead The New Zealand government is expected to give the green light to proposals for a DTT service moulded on the UK's Freeview according to a recent article on Digital Spy. The proposals are being developed by TVNZ, the countries public broadcaster and is likely to be presented for approval next month. The plan would allow NZ consumers to be able to access a number of free digital terrestrial channels just by purchasing a Set Top Box. Digital Spy goes on to say that a point of contention is the funding required to establish the new network. This is estimated at £100-200 million. Other terrestrial broadcasters have backed the idea but Sky the dominant satellite service are said to be against the planned free service. If approved the service could be on the air by late 2007 or early 2008. Source: Digital Spy Item added: 6th March 2006 http://htp//www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds29690.html Action urged on New Zealand digital New Zealand's government must make a policy decision on how and when the country's broadcasters move to digital TV delivery, according to a recent item on the Advanced-television.com website. If they don't then they risk the viability of public broadcasting a report prepared for the broadcast minister is said to advise. The web item also indicates that local press reports say that a decision by early 2006 has been recommended. TVNZ has had the support of all the free-to -air broadcasters in its attempts over the last five years to launch digital services but the government still needs to make some key decisions before this can go ahead. Whether the government will subsidize any of the broadcasters costs is one key point still to be decided. Satellite pay-TV operator Sky New Zealand is already delivering its own DVB-S satellite digital service in New Zealand. Item added: 12th December 2005 Source: Advanced-Television.com Free-to-air broadcasters slow on digital TV An article on the web log Stuff.co.nz laments the slow start for digital television in New Zealand. Sky has been transmitting DVB-S programs to NZ since 1998 and has a very healthy audience according to the article. Various agreements between NZ broadcasters have not yet resulted in any competition to Sky. To read the complete article click on the following source link. Source: Stuff Item added: 11th October 2005 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3424230a28,00.html Background New Zealand has chosen the DVB family of standards for digital TV. At present digital satellite TV is the main area of development and New Zealand television broadcasters have yet to determine when digital terrestrial services will be introduced. Source: ABU Technical Committee, Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. Norway Government awards DTT license The government has announced that it has awarded NTV with its DTT license. It is likely that DTT services will begin in the summer of 2007. NTV, an organization set up by NRK, TV2 and Telenor, had been the only contender for the available DTT license. As per the proposal made by NTV, one multiplex will offer free-to-air DTT services while two additional multiplexes will offer pay DTT services. It is expected that Norway will launch its DTT services using the MPEG-4 video compression standard. Source : Digitag Quoted source: Telenor Item added: 7th June 2006 Norway - NTV sole applicant for DTT licence Norges televisjon (NTV) has applied to the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs for a licence to develop and operate a DTT platform in Norway. In its applications, NTV guarantees the development of three multiplexes covering 95% of households. Of these, one multiplex will also provide coverage to households located in satellite shadow areas. Multiplex contain between ten and seven television program services. NTV proposes a development plan that will involve controlled DTT roll-out in eleven regions. Roll-out will likely in Autumn 2006 for the first region. Analogue switch-off in the last region will be possible by the end of 2008. The DTT platform will use the MPEG-4 video compression standard so as to allow for the eventual transition to HDTV. NTV will aim to offer its audience Norwegian language services and the most popular international services. Local television services will also be available. Both pay and free-to-air services will be offered to viewers. Norsk rikskringkasting AS, TV 2 Gruppen AS and Telenor Broadcast Holding AS each own one third of NTV. NTV and its owners have the ability and will to commit themselves to a long-term investment in the digital terrestrial network in Norway. Source: Digitag Item added: 4th October 2005 Digital TV Partnership NRK, TV 2 Gruppen AS and Telenor Broadcast have entered into a partnership agreement to consider applying for a digital terrestrial TV network license in Norway. If the partners agree to apply the application will be submitted by Norges television (NTV), with each of the three partners holding equal ownership shares. Source: Norges Televisjon AS Item added: 30th August 2005 http://www.ntv.as/article.php?articleID=477&categoryID=21 September 30th Deadline for DTT applications Applicants for Digital Terrestrial television service licenses in Norway have until the 30th September to submit their applications. The successful applicant is expected to get a single concession for two separate licenses by the end of 2005; a frequency usage license, allowing transmission in the 470-790 MHz band for 15 years and a broadcast facilities license which allows the holder to become the multiplex administrator, deciding the content of the transmissions. DTT services are expected to be ready for launch in late 2006. The Norwegian parliament altered the criteria for switchover in February 2004 and laid down that the first digital multiplex must cover at least 95% of the population as well as the population found in the satellite shadow areas. The second multiplex must also cover 95% of the population excepting satellite shadow areas. Roll-out of the third multiplex is frequency limited and will have to wait until space is made available by the analogue service switch-off. At present three DTT pilots in Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim cover 25% of the population. Source: Digitag August 2005 Newsletter Item added: 23 August 2005 Previous Telenor wants DTT Telenor Broadcast has reported an interest to the Ministry of Transport and Communications in building and operating a digital terrestrial TV network in Norway. The Telenor subsidiary Norkring currently owns and operates the national analogue terrestrial TV and radio network and wants to deliver the same services digitally. Canal Digital, also owned by Telenor, delivers TV services to close to 2.9 million households in the Nordic region via satellite, cable, and broadband as well as a digital terrestrial network in Finland. Canal Digital has experience from the introduction of digital TV in the entire Nordic region. Telenor already have some DTT operational experience gained from running a DVB-T test system, covering 25% of the population, since June 2000. Main source: advanced-television.com with additional information from the Telenor website. Added: 5th May 2005 Previous Three-year license extension for Norway DTT The Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs is to offer a three-year extension to the country’s DTT operating license. The ministry invited applications to run Norway’s DTT services in June 2002. The sole applicant NTV, a joint venture between public broadcaster NRK and the commercial channel TV2, has yet to be awarded the license. NTV had asked for the license period to be extended because of the amount of time it will have to get DTT services up and running. However, the ministry has now effectively re-opened the tender, leaving open the possibility that a second player might emerge. Source: Broadband TV News, March 10th 2005 Background DVB-T deployment in Norway has been slow despite test transmissions being available to 25-30% of the population around Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo since June 2000. According to the NTV website it is thought that the development of the digital terrestrial network will begin in the autumn of 2004. Soft launch of the commercial operation will be in the fall of 2006 and analogue shut off region by region will be finalized by the end of 2007. The transmitter plan produced in 2001 provides three multiplexes. More information is also available on the Telenor/Norkring website. http://www.norkring.no/ General Pilot trial since June 2000 coverage 30% Legislation in place 2002 finalized 2004 Soft launch 2005 & for NTV fall 2006 Full launch progressive starting 2005 Analogue switch off each area a few months after DTV start, completed by 1st January 2008 Data Population 4.5 million (2003) TV households 1.8 million (2000) Cable penetration very high. 85% view via cable or DTH DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Max. transmitter ERP Channel bandwidth 3 in 2001 plan UHF only 8k 64QAM freeview mainly both MHP 60kW 8MHz Pakistan No time frame has been fixed for digital terrestrial transmissions to begin. The DVB standard was adopted for satellite based transmission and commenced on the 15th November 2003 on an MCPC platform from Islamabad Centre. Source: ABU Technical Committee, Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. Philippines TV to Mobile Phones might be the key to Digital TV in the Philippines Phone maker Nokia is looking at offering television via its new line of cellular phone models soon to be launched in the Philippines according to an article in the Manila Bulletin Online. Parikshit Bhasin country manager for Nokia said that "Nokia has yet to hold negotiations with Philippine-based broadcasting companies". The service would use the DVB-H system which is part of the DVB range of digital broadcasting specifications now used in most countries of the world. The Philippines have yet to decide on a digital terrestrial standard for television broadcasting but if mobile TV gets a hold then using DVB-T as the main standard for broadcasting to the home would be most cost effective and technically the easiest to implement. Main source: Manila Online Item added: 15th August 2005 http://www.mb.com.ph/ DTT Policy in the Philippines Studies have been carried out since the year 2000 on migration from analogue to digital. A 'wait and see' policy is being followed, monitoring developments with no urgency to proceed with digital TV services. Source: ABU Technical Committee, Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. Poland TV sales rise but little chance of HDTV before 2012 According to a Polish News Bulletin reported on TMCnet.com's website, The World Cup is proving particularly beneficial for Polish TV dealers. As of the 18th June retail chains carrying TV equipment have experienced over 10% growth in turnover. Polish viewers are also becoming more interested in HDTV and LCD TV’s. Despite this growth in interest Polish broadcasters are still reluctant to engage in new projects to develop digital TV, due to the high costs involved for what they estimate is only a small number of potential users. Viewers in Poland will probably have to wait until 2012 for the introduction of HDTV according to the article. Deputy Culture Minister Jaroslaw Sellin hinted that the state would not press broadcasters to switch from analogue to digital TV earlier. Source: Polish News Bulletin via TMC.net Item added: 25th June 2006 http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/18/1685753.htm Poland establishes new telecoms regulator The government of Poland has established the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) to replace the Office of Telecommunications and Post Regulation (URTiP). The new regulatory body will assume the powers of URTiP as well as certain powers of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT). The UKE's responsibilities include the reservation of frequencies for radio and TV transmission (both analogue and digital), the provision of electronic program guides and the regulation of the telecommunications market. Source and full article: DMeurope Item added: 17th January 2006 DTT delay likely Poland's National Broadcasting Council (KKRiT) is likely to delay the DTT multiplex licensing process. Allocation of licenses is now expected at the end of 2006 and not the previous date of early 2006. According to Broadband TV News a debate regarding the video compression standard to be used has raised the possibility of using MPEG-4 instead or as well as MPEG-2. Source: Broadband TV News, Central Europe, Nov 4th 2005 Item added: 8th November 2005 Poland seeks DTT debate The president of the Polish Telecommunications and Post Regulation (URTiP) has proposed to the country’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) that a panel of experts be set up to discuss the problems occurring with the launch off DTT in Poland. The panel will include the three national TV stations (TVP, Polsat and TVN), two other bodies, as well as other interested parties Although the government approved a DTT strategy this May, many technical and organizational issues still remain unresolved. Source: Broadband TV News October 6th 2005 Item added: 11th October 2005 Consultation on DTT begins The National Broadcasting Council (KRRIT) has begun a digital consultation process into digital terrestrial broadcasting. All interested parties are invited to submit their views by mid-August. KRRIT are expected to make a final decision in September and the launch of national DTT services from TVP and POT is expected soon afterwards. Source: Broadband TV News , July 22nd 2005 Item added: 25th July 2005 POT seeks DTT licenses The Polish DTT consortium POT has applied for permission to begin trials in Warsaw and the nearby city of Lódz according to Broadband TV News (Central and Eastern Europe). Frequencies are available in both locations from this September until the end of 2006 and POT, which is jointly owned by Polsat and TVN, would like to use them to distribute a range of both its own and the public broadcaster TVP’s channels. Separately, TP EmiTel, a wholly owned subsidiary of the incumbent telco TPSA, has announced that it would be technical ready to launch a DTT service covering 55% of Poland’s population in Q1 2006. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 2nd June 2005 History Wojciech Halka, Poland’s vice-minister of infrastructure, has announced that the country is likely to approve a plan for digital terrestrial broadcasting next month and launch a platform either at the end of this year or beginning of 2006. The plan envisages digital rollout to take place on a region-by-region basis, with the first to be converted being Mazowsze and Wielkopolska, and the analogue switch-off date being 2014. A consortium made up of TVP, Polsat and TVN, the country’s three national broadcasters, is working jointly to launch a DTT platform. In a separate development, Zygmunt Solorz-Zak, the owner of Polsat, has announced that the company may hold an IPO in Warsaw at the end of this year. Source: Broadband TV News Central Europe Background Poland has been pursuing a cautious approach to the adoption of DTT despite having one of the most developed digital television market places in Central and Eastern Europe. It is proposed that two MFN multiplexes will be in operation replicating the coverage of the existing analogue TVP2. Two MFN medium power multiplexes will also be used to cover big cities and an additional multiplex will also be made available making a total of five. DVB-T field trials have been taking place in Warszawa since November 2001 and Lodz and Wroclaw since March and June 2003. Tests are also planned to begin in Rzeszów and Sucha Góra in early 2004 made possible by recent frequency agreements with Slovakia and Bratislava. It is also reported that permission has been given to "Info" based in Zamosc to start DVB-T trials this year. General Pilot trial November 2001 Legislation in place 2003/4 Analogue switch off 2014 proposed Data Population 38.6 million (UN2003) TV households 12.3 million (EBU2002) Cable penetration 31% Digital Satellite households 1 million (DTG 2003) DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Channel bandwidth 8k 5 UHF 1/32 2/3 fixed and portable 64QAM fixed & 16QAM portable Freeview ? MFN MHP 8MHz Portugal New report on spectrum The Government plans to provide incentives for the development of new communication services, including DTT according to a new report published by the communication regulator Anacom. The efficient use of spectrum is to be promoted and it will introduce market mechanisms to do so. It is also reported that the Electronic Communications Law (5/2004) of 10 February 2004 will be fully implemented. Source: Digitag Item added: 6th September 2005 Portugal to re-launch DTT in 2006 According to advanced-television.com the Portuguese Government intend to call a public tender in the first half of 2006 to award DTT licenses in an attempt to re-launch the market. Media Capital and Telco SGC Telecom and unspecified "others" have already expressed their interest. Source: advanced-television.com Item added: 9th August 2005 http://www.advanced-television.com/2005/news_archive_2005/July25_July29.htm Recent Portuguese regulator approves DVB-T, DVB-H, MPEG-4 trials The National Communication Authority in Portugal (Anacom) has authorized Siemens, SGC Telecom and Group Media Capital to carry out technical trials of digital terrestrial television using DVB-T according to Digital Media Europe. The trial will test out reception of DVB-H on mobile terminals and will use MPEG-4 compression technology. Source: Digital Media Europe Item added: 15th July 2005 http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=9073 Previous Jorge Borrego, the Portuguese Transport and Communication minister, announced that a new call for tenders will be organized on March 2005 to award new digital terrestrial television licenses. "We won't do the same errors we made in the past" , explained the Minister speaking about licenses awarded in March 2003 and never operated. Source: DigiTag Background A license was awarded to PTDP in October 2001 to provide four multiplexes with the proviso that they started by a specific date. This date was extended to the first half of 2003 and in the event the license was revoked by order of the Minister for the Economy on March 25th 2003. General Pilot trial 1998-2000 (Lisbon) Legislation in place 2000 Soft launch original plan 2003 Full launch original plan 2004 Analogue switch off 2010 Data Population 10 million (UN 2003) TV households 3.13 million (2002) Cable penetration 25% (Anacom 2003) DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Middleware Channel bandwidth 4 UHF 8k 1/4 during trial 2/3 during trial 64QAM being re-thought National SFNs planned MHP planned 8MHz Romania Digital TV must replace analogue TV As part of the digital TV and radio plan set out in the recent ITU Regional Radiocommunications Conference in Geneva, Romania asked for frequency allocations for 8 digital TV multiplexes, Hotnews.ro reports. Romania concluded its agreements in conjunction with bordering countries, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. In the run up to the completion of the changeover from analogue to digital services over 300 new stations will have to be authorized. Source: Hotnews.ro Item added: 26th June 2006 Romania - Ready to launch DTT trials Romania’s National Audiovisual Council (CNA) will allocate frequency (Channel 54) for a six-month DTT trial in Bucharest. In addition, a second frequency (Channel 59) is also likely to be made available to commercial broadcasters for DTT tests starting in April or May 2006. The CNA will select the broadcasters to participate in the test on the basis of their content and ratings. The Digitalization Council was established in July 2005 in order to source frequencies for a third national DTT network. The network will be reserved for up to 6 commercial broadcasters with national and regional coverage. Romania has fixed 2012 as its date for analogue switch-off. Source: Digitag Item added: 12th December 2005 DTT pilots to start before the end of 2005 Romanian transmission company Radiocomunicatii will launch two digital TV pilot projects in the capital city Bucharest later this year, according to Broadband TV News (Central and Eastern Europe). July 8th 2005. Radiocomunicatii distributes four channels (TVR1, TVR2, TVR Cultural and TVR International) and allows the national commercial stations ProTV and Antena 1 to use transmission equipment at its sites. Source:Broadband TV News (Central and Eastern Europe) Item added: 12th July 2005 http://www.central.broadbandtvnews.com/ Previous Romania places orders for new TV transmiters In January 2005, Societatea Nationala de Radiocommunicatii S.A. (SNR), the Romanian network operator, placed a large order with Rohde & Schwarz. The order, for its TV network, consists of analogue transmitters for both re-equipment and new services. In addition Rohde & Schwarz will also supply DVB-T transmitters for a pilot project in Bucharest and Galati. The specific locations will be Bucharest-Herastrau and Vacareni-Galati and the installations will also include head ends, encoders and multiplexers to provide complete DVB-T systems. The 200 transmitters ordered for the analogue expansion are also easily converted to DVB-T transmission when the transition from analogue to digital transmission occurs. Source: Rohde and Schwarz press release. Background DVB-T was approved as the system of choice by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in the year 2000. Test transmissions will take place in Bucharest with two transmitters in an SFN configuration (Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl) Russian Federation Mobile in Moscow Last year DTB Ltd. started a brand new DVB-T service providing mobile TV signals to cars in the Moscow area. Using a single 1kW transmiter from Rohde & Schwarz on channel 32, 95% of the city is being covered, according to the DTB website. In the near future an SFN will be used to extend the coverage to the surrounding areas of Moscow. The service is initially aimed at luxury car owners and provides two channels, one with 24 hour news coverage and the other a high quality entertainment channel. Source: DTB Ltd Item added: 20th February 2006 http://www.dtb.ru/english.htm Recent Russian digital switchover Svyatoslav Bunyaev, the deputy DG of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRN), has reiterated his view that the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country will take place by 2009/10 according to a Newsline article in Advanced-Television.com. Opinions on the timing of the switchover are split, with 2015 being accepted by some as a more realistic date. Source: Advanced-Television Central and Eastern Europe Nov 25th Item added: 29th November 2005 http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/archive_cen/251105.html Russia to go digital in 2007** See article above Russia will start its transition to digital television in 2007 according to the Communications and IT minister, speaking on Friday November 11th 2005. "We have developed a draft federal targeted program on the development of the necessary infrastructure, " Leonid Reiman is reported to have said by Novosti at a news conference in Moscow. "We are planning to adopt it next year and hope it will get the necessary financing in 2007" The transition from analogue to digital TV is part of the draft program, the minister said. Source: Novosti Item added: 21st November 2005 http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051111/42059474.html Previous Digital television to hit Russia in 10 years In a recent "web Pravda" article dated Aprl 7th 2005 further details of the progress of digital TV in Russia are reported. Deputy Minister for Information Technologies and Communications Boris Antonyuk is quoted as saying at one of the sessions of the Federation Council's Commission for information policy that the federal TV channels would be broadcast on digital satellite in 2005. The report continued by giving some more details about the situation in Russia saying that by 2007, TV sets receiving analog and digital signals (together with setting of required equipment) will come into the RF market. Antonyuk hopes this will help stimulate development of the electronic industry in this country. He predicted that in six years, half of Russians will have digital TV sets and the analog television will become obsolete in Russia by 2016. He went on to say that the introduction of digital television in the world will be completed by 2028-2030 and it is believed that analog television will become obsolete if 85 per cent of the population already has digital TV sets. The Russian Government will consider a program for switching to digital television this year. Antonyuk also mentioned that Russia is already working on digital broadcasting standards; Moscow, St.Petesrburg and Nizhny Novgorod are the territories where experimental digital television is presently broadcast and that it is planned that owners of digital TV sets will get their decoders for free. The complete article can be seen on the Pravda.RU website. Russia to complete digital switch-over by 2015 According to Boris Antonyuk, deputy minister of information technologies and communication, digital switch-over will be completed by 2015 in Russia. Already, trials are underway in Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhniy Novgorod. Antonyuk believes that, in view of Russia's geography, the use of existing satellite networks would be the best way of developing digital broadcasting in the country. However, the deputy head of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), Svyatoslav Bunyayev, is convinced that Russia must switch to digital broadcasting much sooner. Otherwise "our country will be doomed to being hopelessly backward". In his view, "Russia already has all the necessary technological basis for a rapid and inexpensive switch to digital." Attributed to: Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Source: Digitag Background In December 2003 it was formally announced that Russia will adopt the DVB-T system for terrestrial digital broadcasting and DVB-S for satellite broadcasting. This follows a two-year study of competing standards as well as a series of trial broadcasts in Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhny Novograd. It is reported that national digital conversion should be completed between 2010 and 2015. Niche mobile and home cinema services are also planned by independent operators in Moscow initially. The DVB package of standards will be submitted to the Russian state standardisation body GOSSTANDART and it is expected that final approval will be given in early January 2004. For more information on the digital situation in the Russian Federation see the ERO website http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl Saudi Arabia DTT transmissions began in Saudi Arabia on the 11th June 2006 The first phase of digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmission in Saudi Arabia was launched on the 11th June in the main cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the Arab News reports. Assistant Deputy Minister of Culture and Information for Engineering Affairs, Riyadh Najm, said: "The southern city of Abha and the central city of Buraidah will also have the facility within this month." "By February next year the DTT system will cover not less than 23 cities and that accounts for more than 70 percent of the population," he added. He said the DTT technology would allow people to receive all the four Saudi channels — Channel One, Channel Two, Arriyadiah and Al-Ekhbariya — as well as the Saudi radio programs — General Program, Radio Qur’an, Second Program and European Program — with better clarity. Source: ABU website Item added: 26th June 2006 www.abu.org.my Saudi TV Going Digital Addressing a press conference in Riyadh on the 11th April, Minister for Culture and Information Iyad Madani said the contract by Stesa, the local subsidiary of Thales, would enable Saudi TV to telecast high resolution images both on its Arabic and English channels. Thales is the prime contractor for the project. The minister announced that the project includes the supply of state of the art broadcasting transmission equipment for 22 stations in major Saudi cities as well as a network supervision system to monitor the status of the entire transmission chain from the control room in Riyadh. Saudi will begin to go digital in June and it is likely that the system will be extended to cover the whole country later. Source: Menafn.com Item added: 25th April 2006 http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093109208 Saudi Arabia to get digital terrestrial TV network Digital television over a terrestrial network is to be rolled out across Saudi Arabia beginning this year. The news was announced to the closing session of the CabSat 2006 Broadcasting Conference in Dubai by Riyadh Najm, Assistant Deputy Minister for Engineering Affairs in the Ministry of Culture and Information. This decision follows trials conducted in Riyadh during 2004/5. The roll out starts with five major cities where it will be completed by June 2006. The target is to cover a total of 22 cities by the end of February 2007, serving 70 percent of the population. The single multiplex service will carry four TV channels with a mix of existing Saudi Arabian TV channels plus a new channel designed for the Saudi market. The service will also carry four radio programs. Responding to a question as to why the ministry had elected to begin digital TV over a terrestrial network, when the majority of home received satellite signals, Dr Najm reminded participants that the people of his country were quite conservative, and that this included their television viewing patterns. Most of the population had not signed up for satellite services, despite the fact there was a wide range of programming available for free. The terrestrial network was a most appropriate solution for bringing digital television to Saudi Arabia. He said set top boxes would not be subsidized and the introduction of interactive TV via the MHP standard platform would be a feature of the new service. The ministry would conduct a wide ranging promotion using all forms of media outlets to foster the uptake of the new service, Dr Najm said. Source: ABU Item added: 14th March 2006 Serbia DTT Pilot Project Launched in Serbia The Public service broadcaster RTS, (Serbian Broadcasting Corporation) officially launched the countries first digital terrestrial pilot trial on the 10th May 2005. Using the DVB-T standard the pilot will provide coverage of the capital city Belgrade from a single transmitter. The transmitted multiplex will initially simulcast the three existing TV programs RTS1, RTS2 and RTS3 as well as four radio programs. The remaining TV slot designated RTS4 will be used for special test programs. These pilot transmissions will enable field measurements to confirm coverage predictions as well as provide system operational experience. Later an additional transmitter and gap-fillers will be added to the system. Source: Kompani Added: 11th May 2005, Barry Tew. Seychelles DVB-C in the Seychelles The Seychelles has yet to deploy DTT services but it already uses DVB-C on one of its cable systems, thanks to Multichoice SMS, a South African based company. The system uses a satellite feed on PanAmSAt 10 (C-Band) and transmodulates from DVB-S, QPSK to DVB-C, 64QAM. Source: Multichoice article in DVB-Scene 18 Item added: 6th June 2006 Singapore Singapore HDTV trial begins Singapore begins its HDTV trial on the 18th June with the film The Lord of The Rings. The launch just before the Broadcast Asia 2006 conference is more importantly just in time for the FIFA World Cup and it has been reported that the lucky participants will have access to all 64 World Cup games as well as movies documentaries and other entertainment shows. The signals will be made available terrestrially by Media Corp and on the cable system by StarHub. Recent information reports that the trial will have 2000 participant households receiving the HDTV signals, 1,000 by DTT and 1,000 by cable. The trial is expected to last for six months. Source: DVB and Mediacorp Item added: 6th June 2006 http://www.corporate.mediacorp.sg/technologies/hdtv/ HDTV trial starts June 2006 MediaCorp, Singapores largest broadcaster, has partnered with the Media Development Authority (MDA) for an HDTV trial which begins in June. The trial will run for six months and have 800 participants chosen by a research company to provide a varied mix of users. The HDTV signals will be broadcast on channel 38 although a MediaCorp press release points out that a full commercial service, when launched, may be delivered on a platform other than terrestrial. MediaCorps currently transmit 1 TV mobile channel and 5 SDTV channels using DVB-T technology. For more information click on www.hdtv-trial.sg Main Source: MediaCorp bulletin Item added: 7th May 2006 http://www.corporate.mediacorp.sg/technologies/hdtv/overview.htm DIGITAL DREAMS An article in the June DVB scene, by the Media Development Authority in Singapore, examines the progress Media 21 blueprint for the development of the media industry, which began back in July 2003. To view the complete article click on the following link and look at page 10. http://www.dvb.org/documents/newsletters/DVB-SCENE%20Issue%2014%20Final.pdf Item added: 17th May 2005 General Pilot trial 1999 mobile, Dec. 2000 fixed Legislation in place 1999 Soft launch 14th February 2001, mobile Full launch TV to DTV gradual switch Analogue switch off not decided Mobile TV Service running since 2001 HDTV Terrestrial trial June 2006 Data Population 4.2 million TV households 796 thousand (2002) Cable penetration 250 thousand Digital TV households Digital Satellite households not allowed in Singapore DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational Bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN 2 UHF 2k mobile, 8k fixed 1/4 mobile, 1/8 fixed 1/2 mobile, 2/3 fixed QPSK mobile, 64QAM fixed Freeview MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP Middleware Channel bandwidth 40kW OpenTV, MHP planned 8MHz Slovakia DTT Trials Start A four-channel DTT trial operated by the Slovak Telecom a subsidiary of Rádiokomunikácie has begun in Bratislava according to Advanced-Television.com. Rádiokomunikácie is 51% owned by Deutsche Telekom and has licenses to undertake DTT trials in Bratislava and Banská Bystrica-Zvolen, while a company named Telecom Corp. is permitted to do so in Kosice-Presov. Slovak Telecom undertook its first DTT trials in Bratislava during 1999 and the government approved a detail strategy for the implementation of DTT two years later. The analogue switch off date in Slovakia has been set for 2012, though it still remains unclear when a full service will make its debut. Source: Advanced-Television Central and Eastern Europe Item added: 29th November 2005 http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/archive_cen/251105.html Previous DTT progress in Slovakia The launch of DTT moved closer in Slovakia with the news that Slovak Telecom has been awarded digital terrestrial frequencies in the capital, Bratislava. Last year Deutsche Telekom-backed Slovak Telecom was granted frequencies in Banska Bystrica-Zvolen and Telecom Corp. in Kosice-Presov shortly after the country had passed a new electronic communications law. Slovak Telecom’s license in Bratislava is valid until mid-2006 and both it and Telecom Corp, are expected to begin trials shortly. Source: Broadband TV News, Central and Eastern Europe (May 6th 2005) http://www.central.broadbandtvnews.com/ Three DTT pilot projects in Bratislava, Banska Bystrica and Zvolen, Presov and Kosice are planned to begin before the end of 2004. In fact it is reported that the transmitter in KosticePresov started pilot transmissions on the 25th October 2004. These projects are being jointly prepared by Slovak Telecom's Banska Bystrica-based research institute and Slovak Telecom Office, the countries regulator. A commercial rollout is planned for 2005. Analogue switch off is expected in 2015. The co-ordination of frequencies with neighboring countries continues and when completed the transmitters should cover the whole of Slovakia with two multiplexes and an additional multiplex introduced later for major population areas. 1st December 2004 General Pilot trial 1999/2004 Legislation in place 2001/2004 Full launch 2005 Analogue switch off 2015 Data Population 5.4 million (UN2003) TV households 1.87 million (EBU2002) Cable penetration 30% DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Carrier type MFN and SFN 2+1 8k MFN and SFN's Slovenia Digital switch-over by 2012 The Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti has announced that Slovenia would probably switch from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in 2012. According to Simoniti, digital switch-over represents a substantial financial cost for Slovenia. He stated: "I hope we can speed up the transition if we get financial support from abroad." Source: Digitag (Slovene Press Agency STA) Item added: 21st November 2005 Background information on Slovenia Digital terrestrial TV will soon be moving forward in Slovenia when a new telecom law drafted by April 2003 is enacted by parliament later in the year. Public broadcasters started test transmissions in 2000 covering Ljubljana and the surrounding area. The SFN network is planned for expansion when legislation is introduced. A frequency plan has been prepared and the co-ordination process is in progress. 6 multiplexes are planned with one on VHF and the remainder in the UHF band. The plan provides SFN coverage of 95% of the population. Three national networks covering 80% of the population will use a mixture of MFN and SFN networks.Two MFNs or SFNs are planned in every regional area. Six small networks (approx. 25km diameter) utilizing a mixture of MFN's and SFN's, some in VHF, will be used for mobile reception. 64QAM, 8k transmissions are favored with QPSK being planned for mobile services. The long term aim is to ensure that portable and mobile receptions are available to most of the population. Main source DigiTag 2003 General Pilot trial 2000 ongoing Legislation in place 2004 planned Full launch depends on legislation Analogue switch off 2015 Data Population 2 million (UN2003) TV households 642 thousand (2002) Cable penetration 44% DVB-T Parameters Number of multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Channel bandwidth 6 UHF and VHF 8k 64QAM, QPSK for mobile fixed, portable, mobile MFN with extensive SFN 8MHz UHF, 7MHz VHF South Africa The Future of TV might be in the box The SABC could finally have a cure for unpaid television licenses if the “Digital Television Committee” which also includes the department of communication (DOC) decides to introduce set-top-boxes that require the use of smart cards to watch TV. Sentech and the DOC may decide that the broadcast service provider delivers free-to-air and unencrypted services but the disadvantage is that the provider has no control over who uses the service. If the service were encrypted then viewers would need to obtain and pay for a smart card which could be a new way to ensure that all users purchase a TV license in an indirect way. Sentech is reported to have set its DTT coverage target at 92% by 2010. Other figures to emerge are that TV households in South Africa are estimated to be 7 million a figure which is expected to increase to 10 million by 2010. It was also said that it was unlikely that any HDTV services would be contemplated until after the digital changeover has taken place. Source: Business report.co.za Item added: 26th June 2006 DVB-H trial extended First started in October 2005 to cover the central Johannesburg area, the DVB-H trial has now been expanded to cover, the capital city, Pretoria and the main highway connecting the two cities. The next area to be covered is Soweto, one of the biggest suburbs in the south of Johannesburg. The trial, run by Multichoice SMS, is an SFN based system carrying 14 video services and is available to a closed user group, selected by a market research company. The trial is both to test the technology as well as user behavior. Source: Multichoice article published in DVB-Scene Number 18 Item added: 6th June 2006 Digital goes the Aerial Route Its all systems go for Digital Terrestrial Television in South Africa according to mybroadband.co.za Quoting Sentech Executive Johan Raath the article gives a comprehensive view of possibilities and the cost of the transition. The national upgrade to DTT is expected to take three years and the process will start later this year according to Raath. Sentech's largest transmitters covering 70% of the population will be upgraded first. A period of simul-casting digital and analogue transmissions will be necessary but this will be kept to a minimum due to the high costs of maintaining two services. Further down the line DTT will allow the introduction of HDTV, but for now SDTV services take priority. Source: mybroadband.co.za Item added: 25th January 2006 Treasury funds digital broadcasting network upgrade The Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, confirmed that funds will make available to digitize the South African television broadcasting signal distribution network according to signal provider Sentech. Sentech requested capital from the government to upgrade and digitize the existing analogue network which has been in use since 1976 and is now proving very costly to maintain. Another key reason for the upgrade is to enable the country to broadcast the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup tournament to the rest of the world. Sentech are also reported to be very interested in the possibilities of the DVB-H standard for broadcasting TV to mobile handsets. South Africa has around 7 million TV households according to Johan Raath, the spokesman for Sentech, who released the funding information. Source: Engineering news za http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/eng/news/breaking/?show=77368 Item added: 15th November 2005 Previous Multichoice to mount mobile TV MultiChoice Africa has announced its intention to launch a series of new technologies, including Mobile TV, at a briefing to journalists assembled for the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of the Year award in Nairobi Kenya. Multichoice Africa, announced that it would begin trials in August 2005 using the Digital Video Broadcasting specification, DVB-H, to deliver television to mobile handsets. Source: Mobile Africa http://www.mobileafrica.net/news-africa.php?id=452 Last page update: 29th June 2005 South Africa to set up a digital task team Communication Minister Ivy Matsepe Casaburri announced in a recent statement that the government intended to set up a "migration task team" to look at digitising the country's analogue infrastructure. This follows previous calls from Sentech and the Communications Portfolio Committee to switch to digital equipment. The working group is to comprise of representatives from industry, the regulator Icasa, consumers, business and the government. It is reported that Sentech's estimate for the cost of new digital transmitters is in the order of R268 million. Source: www.iol.co.za Item added: 2nd June 2005 Draft Terrestrial Broadcast Frequency plan published The Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has published a draft terrestrial broadcast frequency plan for public comment. This sets out the basis on which new broadcasting licences can be granted. Already , Orbicom and Electronic Media Network (M-Net) have been conducting DTT tests in Johannesburg, Kyalami and Helderkruin. SABC has allocated R400 million for the next three years to progressively migrate to a digital network. The transition must be completed by 2010. Source: Business Report http://www.busrep.co.za Previous South Africa makes progress with DTT South Africa continues to make progress in the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting using DVB-T. SADIBA (Southern Africa Digital Broadcasting Association) formed in 2001 made a firm recommendation for DVB-T in a report published in January 2002. Although the DBAB (Digital Broadcasting Advisory Board) was expected to make an announcement on all digital transitions this has not yet occured. DAB services however are progressing and DVB-T trial transmissions are taking place in Johanesburg by both Sentech and Orbicomm. Sentech was first on the air in February 2000 with 5 fixed and 2 mobile targeted transmissions. The fixed service uses 8k, 64QAM modulation with a 1/32 guard period and a 2/3 FEC. The mobile service uses 2k, QPSK with a 1/2 FEC and a 1/4 guard. Both configurations which are in an 8MHz UHF channel are subject to change. The Orbicom transmission also uses an 8MHZ UHF channel and has been radiating since November 2001. Both fixed and mobile transmission experiments are taking place. 8k, 64QAM modulation with a 1/32 guard and an FEC of 2/3 is used for fixed reception with 2k, 16QAM, a 1/8 guard and an FEC of 2/3 used for mobile tests. These settings are also varied so that effect of different configurations can be assessed. It has been reported that the digital to analogue transition will take 10-15 years. For more information look at the following website http://www.sadiba.co.za/pages/home/sa_status.html South Korea Analogue TV switch-off delay expected due to poor take-up After several years indecision on whether the US ATSC system would be good enough to provide for the needs of Korea rather than the field proven DVB-T system, the ATSC system was re-affirmed as the only allowable DTT system. Now the Korean government is considering pulling back on the previous announced date for analogue switch-off of 2010 due to poor take up of DTT services. The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) originally projected that DTT penetration would reach 95% by 2010 and planned to stop analogue TV transmissions at that time. These figures have now been scaled down to an estimated penetration of 59% by 2010 due to worse than expected TV sales. Source: The Korean Times http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200602/kt2006022119010711880.htm Item added: 23rd February 2006 Previous DVB-H trial planned for 2005/2006 During 2004, four major Korean organizations agreed to start a DVB-H project. The participants include: MIC (Ministry of Information & Communication) KBC (Korean Broadcasting Committee) KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) The United Broadcasting Union. A task force will be formed during 2005 to progress the DVB-H test trial which is planned to take place during Q2 of 2006. Source: KOBETA Added: 29th March 2005 Current numbers for SkyLife OCAP service continues to be very popular in Korea. Skylife now have 1.7 million subscribers with 1.05 million of them having MHP enabled STB'sis number is expected to rise to 1.5 Million by the end of 2005. CJ CableNet launched an OCAP based service on 1st February 2005. Take-up figures are not yet available. Background South Korea adopted the U.S. standard, 8-VSB digital terrestrial modulation system in 1997. In 2001 commercial services where launched in Seoul and extended to the surrounding Kyonggi Province in 2002. During the course of 2003, the Korean broadcasting community under the auspices of the Korean Broadcasting Commission reviewed the adoption of ATSC based on the perceived poor performance of the technology. Following extensive trials and discussions at various levels of industry, the ATSC decision was retained. DVB's technical performance and flexibility were weighed against a not insignificant existing deployment of ATSC receivers and the potential cost to the industry of any change in technical standard at that late stage. Since the re-affirmation of ATSC as the digital terrestrial television standard in Korea, the roll-out of ATSC HDTV services has continued. In an effort target mobile and portable receivers, the Korean broadcasters have been forced to look at other technologies such as DVB-T-based, DVB-H and DAB-based, DMB. Updated: 26th April 2005 Spain Nearly 2 million STB’s sold since November 2005 According to recently released Spanish government figures 1,750,000 DTT receivers have been sold in Spain since the re-launch of DTT services in November 2005. Source: Noticias Pyme Item added: 26th June 2006 http://www.noticiaspyme.com/sec/sec.ntec/noti_tel.asp?idn=94000&pon=1&ids=11 First HDTV transmissions on a DTT platform Regional broadcaster CARTV together with the broadcast network operator Abertis and production company Mediapro have undertaken the first HDTV transmissions on a DTT platform in Spain. The transmissions took place in Zaragoza as part of the International Festival of HD and Digital Cinema. The HD trial finished on the 18th June. Source: Digitag Item added: 20th June 2006 Seville gives the Thumbs Up to Mobile TV Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Vodafone Espana reported the first results from the Seville DVB-H mobile trial at a special event on May 5th in the city. 80% of the participants say they would recommend the Mobile TV service with 8 out of 10 saying that it was easy to use. Users watched the service for approximately 35 minutes each day and 38 minutes at weekends. The trial involved 300 users who had access to 14 television channels from a variety of local broadcasters including, Antena 3 TV, Net TV, Sogecable, Telecino, RTVA (Canal Sur), RTVE, RTW (Canal Nou) and Veo TV. Source: 3G Portal Item added: 10th May 2006 http://www.the3gportal.com/3gpnews/archives/007665.html More DVB-H trials this time in Zaragoza Amena, Abertis Telecom and Nokia have announced another DVB-H pilot test, this time in Zaragoza. Over 125 Aroganese users will test the characteristics of the system and how it works in the area around Zaragoza, centrally and in underground situations probably with simple repeaters. Users will be able to access services from TVE, Antenna 3, Telecinco, Cuarto, Net TV y Veo TV), thematic channels CNN+ 40 Latino, C24 h, Teledeporte, Neox, Nova y Telecinco Sport and Aragon TV. Source: Invertia.com Item added:30th March 2006 http://www.invertia.com/noticias/imprimir.asp?IdNoticia=1499819&idtel= DTT take-up in Spain is a success The ministry of Industry has reacted to the gloomy assessment of DTT broadcasters by saying that the DTT take-up is a success, according to an item on the Advanced Television.com website. The telecommunication Secretary of State, Francisco Ros is reported as saying that more than 2.5 million homes (more than 7.5 million people) have access to DTT signals and that more than two million homes (representing 6 million people) are able to receive DTT if they get a Set-Top-Box. Of the 2.5 million homes, 1.1 million have purchased a DTT, STB, 9% of which are MHP capable. Another 1.3 million receive Digital TV through their cable systems and 200 thousand watch through the Telefónicá Imagenio IPTV service. ”Citizens have positively welcomed DTT and are betting on it,” commented the Secretary of State. Source: Advanced Television.com 17th March 2006 Item added: 21st March, 2006 Broadcasters expected to call for a delay to the Analogue TV switch off date Spanish Broadcasters are reported to be planning to ask the government to delay the analogue TV switch-off date from the planned 3 April 2010. Broadcasters are said to be pessimistic towards the DTT market after a reduction in DTT receiver sales in the first two months of 2006. Sales up to Christmas were exceptional with 500-600 thousand receivers being sold and the drop in sales after Christmas is to be expected. Broadcasters have been complaining about the lack of financial support from the government to help with the development of the DTT market and the call for a delay may be part of negotiations for more help. Original source: advanced-television.com Item added: 13th March 2006 DVB-H service launch in 2007 Network operator Abertis has announced plans to launch a country-wide DVB-H services in early 2007. It is confident that a market exists for broadcasting television services to handheld receivers. Abertis, together with Telefonica and Nokia, also presented the first results of their DVB-H trial during the 3GSM World conference in Barcelona. Five hundred users in Madrid and Barcelona participated a commercial DVB-H trial and results showed that 55% of participants would be willing to pay for a mobile television service. 75% of users said that the would recommend the service to others. Users spent an average of 16 minutes per day watching mobile television, mainly from their home. The most popular content was news, followed by sitcoms and music videos. Source: Digitag and IBL News Item added: 20th February 2006 Mobile TV to Dominate at 3GSM World Congress (February 10th) With 55,000 people set to converge on Barcelona for the annual 3GSM World Congress, more than forty companies are preparing to show why DVB-H is fast becoming the global standard for mobile digital television. There will be three DVB-H multiplexes on air in Barcelona carrying more than forty TV channels. Source: DVB Item added: 13th February 2006 Telefónica meets customer target Spanish telecoms operator Telefónica has met its target of more than 200,000 subscribers for its hybrid internet protocol television (IPTV) and digital terrestrial television (DTT) service, Imagenio. The service was launched less than a year ago in Madrid and Barcelona and is now available to 4m households in 140 cities. The hybrid DTT/IPTV boxes were produced by Advanced Digital Broadcasting (ADB). Source: DTG Item added: 10th January 2006 More mobile TV trials in Spain Valencia is the latest city in Spain preparing to test mobile TV using DVB-H enabled phones. Spanish network operator Abertis Telecom, broadcaster Radio Televisión Valenciana (RTVV), Nokia and Vodafone have announced the trial which aims to explore the possibilities offered by the new services and evaluate their technological and commercial potential. 150 users in Valencia will be equipped with a mobile phones which allow them TV reception of 14 channels, some with interactive content and mobile services. The trial is due to be completed by April 2006 and joins others taking place in Barcelona and Madrid. Source: Broadband TV News, Jan 5th Item added: January 5th 2006 DTT forging ahead DTT in Spain is ahead of all forecasts according to recent reports from Spain. In a web update from Advanced-Television.com it is reported that around one million homes are already watching the 18 DTT channels made available by the RTVE-led consortium. The Consultancy, Corporacion Multimedia is saying that the penetration rate for DTT is now 4.7% only two months after the re-launch of DTT in Spain. ASIMELEC, the Spanish Electronic Companies Association had estimated that only 850,000 homes would have access to DTT by the end of the year and this figure has been clearly exceeded. The estimate was also set for 2 million by the end of 2006 and on present trends this is also likely to be exceeded. Source: Advanced-Television.com, 5th Jan 2006 Item added: 5th January 2006 Recent DTT Re-launched in Spain Nationally and Locally From today, the 30th November 2005, 80% of the Spanish population are able to receive 20-26 DTT programmes with the re-launch of Digital Terrestrial Television in Spain. National DTT Five National DTT multiplexes are now on the air: MUX 1 (MFN) TVE1, TVE2, Canal24H, ClanTV/50anosTV MUX 2 (SFN) Teledeporte, VeoTV1, VeoTV2, NetTV (all on Ch 66) MUX 3 (SFN) Cuarto, CNN+, 40Latino, LaSexta (all on Ch 67)MUX 4 (SFN) Tele5, Tele5 Sport, Tele5Estrella, Fly Music (all on Ch 68) MUX 5 (SFN) Antena3, Nova, Necx, LaSexta (all on Ch 69) Regional DTT Depending on the area up to two local multiplexes are available: Catalunya 2 multiplexes. MUX TVC (MFN) TV3, K3/33, 3/24, 300 MUX EDC (MFN) City TV Madrid 1 multiplex. MUX (MFN) Telemadrid, LeOtra, Onda6 Other regions with one multiplex on the air are: Canarias, Aragon, Valencia, Galicia, Euskadi, Andalucia. Local DTT The first re-launched local service went on air in Barcelona on the 26th November 2005, just a few days before the national launch. http://www.barcelonatv.com The service on channel 26 covers the Barcelona area, using 64QAM modulation, an FEC of 2/3 and a guard interval of 1/4. Source: Abertis Telecom Item added: 30th November 2005 DTT boxes take off in Spain The forthcoming launch of free to air DTV is driving up the sales of set-top boxes according to an article on the advanced-television website. Over the last ten months, 400,000 units are reported to have been sold putting an end to the previous three year stagnation of DTV following the closure of the Quiero pay-TV platform. Electronic manufacturers have high hopes for Christmas period sales and expect that a further 300,000 units will be sold. Source: Advanced Television Item added: 21st November 2005 Nokia predicts a commercial DVB-H launch by the end of 2006 VP of Strategy and Business Development EMEA for Nokia, Serge Ferre, said he was for a launch in Spain of the DVB-H based mobile TV system in 2006, during a recent conference in Madrid. He was confident of success following the positive results of the recent in country pilots in Madrid and Barcelona and urged the regulatory authorities to pave the way with a clear regulation of the business. Source: Advanced Television Item added: 21st November 2005 DTT re-launch on November 30th 2005 Spain is ramping up for the re-launch of its Digital Terrestrial TV services on the 30th November. Each commercial broadcaster currently on the analogue terrestrial platform will receive 3 DTT licences, so that as well as broadcasting digital versions of an existing service they will have two additional slots for new services. Telecinco will offer a service devoted to fiction programmes and a sports service. Antena 3 will offer one children’s service and one service aimed at women while Sogecable will offer a news service and a music service. Simulcasting of existing analogue TV transmissions and the new digital services are planned to continue until April 3rd 2010. Source: DigiTag and Cinco Dias Item added: 15th November 2005 Broadcasters launch DTT promotion organisation A new organisation the Asociacion Pro TNT has been launched to promote DTT services in Spain. RTVE, Telecino, Antena 3, Sogecable, Net TV, VeoTV and a representative of the regional broadcaster Forta have all joined forces together with network operator Abertis in the new Association. The group aims to speed up the development of the DTT market, which starts with 18 channels launching on the DTT platform next month. One of its first tasks is to set up a study group to oversee and coordinate the digital migration, planned to be completed in April 2010. Sources: CincoDias and advanced-television.com 20th Oct Item added: 25th October 2005 http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/empresas/TV/pistoletazo/salida/digital/cdsemp/20051114cdscdie mp_9/Tes/ Previous Nokia are to flood the Spanish Market with TV phones according to Advanced-Television.com The item goes on to say that the Finish mobile company plans a full-frontal assault on the Spanish mobile TV market with the massive launch in 2006 of mobile TV-ready phones. Nokia, along with other mobile TV operators, is eagerly expecting the Government's decision to allocate the DTT mobile TV frequencies over the next months. Nokia -with a market share of around 40 per cent - is already involved in the first DVB-H project in Spain, along with Telefonica and broadcasting agency Abertis. They recently reached an agreement with several Spanish TV broadcasters - TVE, Telemadrid and TV3, Tele 5, Antena 3 and Canal Plus- to trial DVB-H with up to 15 TV channels. Initially, the launch was scheduled for September, but it is running late. The idea is to test mobile TV for six months. Source: Advanced-television.com 30th September Item added: 30th September 2005 National Technical Plan approved On the 30th July 2005 the Spanish Cabinet approved the Decree for the National Technical Plan for digital television, (Televiso'n Digital Terrestre (TDT)), which establishes the conditions for the transition to digital television and the structure of different networks, as well as the launch of a new analogue channel covering 70% of Spain. According to the Ministry, the objective of the plan is to ensure a smooth transition to digital television and the switch off of analogue services in 2010 as well as increasing the availablity of channels whilst ensuring provision for Independent Communities throughout Spain. Antenna 3 TV, Telecino, and Canal + will be on a multiplex with complete coverage. RTVE will be allowed a multiplex containing four channels of programmes with regional variations as well as another SFN multiplex covering the whole of Spain. The plan targets public coverage from RTVE as 80% of the population by December 31st 2005, 90% by 2008 and 98% at switch off in 2010. Private operators also have the same targets although the coverage at switch off in 2010 is limited to 95%. Item added: 8th August 2005 Source: Foro de la Television Digital http://www.televisiondigital.electronicafacil.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=arti cle&sid=314 Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Telefonica Moviles Espana start the first DVB-H pilot in Spain Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Telefonica Moviles Espaana are starting a mobile TV pilot project using Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) technology. The project is backed by major regional and local channels and is the first of its kind in Spain. It will take place between September and February 2006 finishing at the end of the World GSM Congress 2006 in Barcelona. 500 hundred users from Madrid and Barcelona will be able to watch high quality TV broadcast content from Antenna 3, Sogecable, Telecino, Telemadrid, TVE and TV3 on Nokia 7710 Smartphones modified to receive DVB-H transmissions. Tests of the pilot system were planned to start in June. Initial source: Lycos finance Item added: 6th July 2005 The Spanish Government agree the launch of Seven national multiplexes The Spanish Cabinet have approved the opening of a process to launch 7 national DTT multiplexes and one new analogue channel, covering 70% of the population. It is hoped that by the end of the year 17 digital terrestrial channels will be available. Two of the new multiplexes will be reserved for the public broadcaster RTVE. Antena 3, Tele 5, Sogacable, Net and VeoTV are also being allowed to keep the licences already allocated to them in 2002. One multiplex will be reserved for broadcasting to mobile devices. The Analogue switch off date was also confirmed as April 2010. Source: CincoDias Item added: 27th June 2005 http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/empresas/Gobierno/concedera/canales/digitales/analogico/cdssec /20050624cdscdiemp_1/Tes/ Countdown to DTT re-launch The General Secretary for Telecommunications, Francisco Ros, has announced that the Government is to finally re-allocate Quiero's three and a half multiplexes (14 TV channels) "over the next weeks". The re-allocation will made amongst present broadcasters -RTVE, Antena 3, Tele 5, Canal Plus, Veo TV and Net TV- although one or two new possible entrants are not ruled out. The Administration is holding negotiations with state-owned group RTVE about its role in the development of DTT. RTVE has asked the Government to grant it with two multiplexes to lead the market. "Undoubtedly, its role (RTVE) will be very important", said Ros. In parallel, the Government hopes that the new DTT law is finally approved in May to give a definitive boost to the market and pave the way for the launch in Autumn of a DTT platform with 22 channels, coinciding with the Christmas campaign. Source: Advanced-Television.com Item added: 26th April 2005 Watchdog Committee to help the development of DTT The socialist Government has decided to create a watchdog committee to follow up the transition to digital, in an attempt to give a real boost to the DTT market. This new body - to be set up under the presidency of the State Secretary of Telecommunications, Francisco Ros - will be composed of representatives from state-owned group RTVE, regional channels (FORTA), private televisions (UTECA), radio stations, electronic manufacturers, installers and wholesalers. The committee aims to take the necessary decisions to foster and develop DTT, as well as to establish and approve a global strategy in the transition period to digital until the analogue switch-over now scheduled for 2010. Within this Committee, the Ministry of Industry will also create the so-called DTT Technical Forum, responsible for carrying out the technical actions approved by the Committee. The creation of this watchdog committee takes place at a time when the Government-sponsored DTT bill - under discussion in Parliament - is causing a stir in the TV market. Source: David Vale for Advanced Television.com More at: http://www.advanced-television.com/2005/news_archive_2005/Feb21_25.htm General Pilot 1997/98 Original Legislation in place October 1998 Initial soft launch May 2000 (Quiero related) Previous full launch May 2000 (Quiero related) Analogue switch off 2010 (date changed Jan.2005) Data Population 41 million (UN 2003) TV households 11.8 million (2000) Cable penetration 733 thousand DTT households 700K (Screen digest Feb 2006) DTT penetration 1% (Q2, 2004 Source EBU) Digital Cable households launched (Q3-2003) Digital Satellite households 3 million (2003) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Guard FEC Modulation Reception model MFN and SFN Channel bandwidth 4/5 planned UHF 8k 1/4 2/3 64QAM relaunch likely as Freeview MFN and some SFN 8MHz Sri Lanka CBNSat (DVB-S) TV network launched Sri Lanka's first Satellite digital Video Broadcast, DVB-S Direct to Home (DTH) network was launched by Communiq Broadband Network(Private) Ltd. (CBNSat) at the end of May 2005. The service is receivable throughout the Island and has the capability to broadcast up to 120 channels. Arthur C. Clarke, who's home is in Sri Lanka, inaugurated the service. Source: Daily News Online http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/05/31/bus02.htm Item added: 4th August 2005 DVB-T launch expected to take 5-10 years No time frame has been allocated for introduction of digital terrestrial TV services and it is expected to take five to ten years before final decisions are made. Sri Lanka is expected to select the DVB family of standards. Source: ABU Technical Committee Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004 Sweden New DVB-H trial in Sweden Communication service provider TeliaSonera will broadcast television programmes to mobile phones on the DTT network throughout this summer using DVB-H technology. The tests will be conducted in the cities of Gothenburg and Stockholm staring at the beginning of August. The test system will be hosted and managed by Nokia and use N92 (DVB-H capable) Nokia multi-media mobile phones. Telia has been granted a three-month test licence to broadcast DVB-H signals during the trial. Sources: Nokia and Telia Item added: 20th June 2006 http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1057793 http://www.teliasonera.com/externalarticle/?hier=12815&mainUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startsida n.telia.se%2Fcom%2Ftelia%2Fics%2Fportal%2Fapps%2Fpress%2FPressReleasePage.html%3Fid %3D133848%26disclaimerId%3D%26lang%3DEN Boxer increases subscriber base Sweden's pay DTT platform Boxer has reported an increased subscriber base in the first quarter of 2006. At March 31st it had 569,000 subscribers, an increase of 38,000 for the quarter. Boxer says that the repackaging of its content in 2004 and the ramp up to digital switchover is resulting in an average increase of 35,000 subscribers per quarter. Northern Smaland, Gästrikland and Gotland are now completely digital. Further areas set to end analogue television include Dalarna and Hälsingland in May. Source: Boxer and Broadband TV News (April 1st) Item added: 18th April 2006 Sixth Multiplex to be launched RTVV, the Swedish broadcasting authority has allocated 7 service licences to be available on the 6th multiplex. The multiplex will include both free-toair and pay DTT services. Boxer announced that the services will be available on the 31st May. Source: Broadband TV News Item added: 6th March 2006 DTT subscribers grow by 42% Boxer, the DTV service provider in Sweden, has announced that it increased its subscriber base by 42%, with 156,000 new users added, up to December 31st. This brings the total number of DTT subscribers to 531,000. Analogue switch-off started in September 2005 and is planned to be completed by autumn 2007. Source: Boxer press release translated by Digitag Item added: 17th January 2006 Previous HDTV on Terrestrial Network and DVB-H demo soon As a world first, Teracom made a public demonstration of HDTV on the DTT platform using the MPEG-4 AVC video compression standard. Other partners in the demonstration included the manufacturers Sagem and Thomson. According to Bengt Broman, Managing Director of Teracom "Now that we have shown that the service works, we can start offering Swedish households HDTV transmissions via the normal digital TV network. We believe that the programme companies are interested in transmitting special events via HDTV, e.g. the football World Cup. We have now shown that this does not present any technical problems." According to the Managing Director of the pay DTT operator Boxer TV Access, Crister Fritzson, "We see the possibility of introducing HDTV on special channels for special events and films for households ready to invest in advanced equipment and special subscriptions, but at the same time we will be continuing to develop our usual offering." Teracom also showcased DVB-H for the first time in Sweden. A number of television programmes were transmitted via the DTT network to a Nokia multimedia terminal. At the beginning of next year, Teracom will begin a full-scale DVB-H pilot project in Sweden. Source: Digitag Item added: 17th November 2005 DTT viewers increase Boxer has added 33,000 subscribers in the third quarter of 2005. At the end of September the total number of DTT subscribers was 483,000. Source: Boxer Item added: 8th November 2005 First Analogue TV Transmitters Turned Off Sweden began its transition to digital television Monday as the first analogue transmitters have been turned off, on the island of Gotland. The switchover continues later in the year as transmitters close in the cities of Motala and Gävle. The public television channel SVT1 will continue in analogue in Gotland for two weeks, however. The change only affects terrestrial television. Half of the households here have cable TV and 17 percent have digital satellite television already, and will not be affected. Only 23 percent of Swedish households here still have ordinary TV antennas on their roofs and will need to get digital terrestrial boxes. There are five stages to the digital switchover here, but all of Sweden is to be digital-only by the time Britain starts its transition in 2008. Source: Sveriges Radio Item added: 29th September 2005 http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/artikel.asp?ProgramID=2054&Nyheter=&artikel =695185 Digital penetration reaches 38% According to research by Mediavision, 38% of Swedes between the ages of 15-74 have access to digital television. Compared with 2004, digital television penetration has increased by 6%. Of the digital viewers, 35% use the DTT services provided by Boxer. With analogue switch-off set to commence in September, 85% of those interviewed were aware of digital switch-over Immediate Source: Digitag Original Source: Boxer Item added: 20th August 2005 http://www.boxer.se/?page=3 Analogue switch off plans finalised The dates for analogue switch-off in three Swedish regions have been confirmed. On 19 September, the region of Gotland with shut down its analogue transmissions for SVT1, SVT2 and TV4. The region of Gävle will shut off its analogue transmission of SVT2 and TV4 on 10 October while the analogue transmission of SVT1 will end on 24 October. Finally, the region of Motala/Linköping will end its analogue transmission of SVT1 and SVT2 on 21 November and the analogue transmission of TV4 will be shut off on 5 December. These analogue switch-off plans are in accordance with the national analogue switch-off set to take place on 1st February 2008**(this date has been corrected in line with the Swedish governments published date, click here for more) . Starting on 8 April, an information campaign will begin. Households will receive a 12 page brochure on DTT. Source: NyTeknik and Digitag Note item updated: 8th August 2005 http://www.nyteknik.se/art/39511 MHP-based Community project In Gävle, which is one of the three areas scheduled for analogue switch off this fall an interesting development is taking place. This is an MHP-based community information service for the DVB-T network. The trial project will start later this year and will have around 500 users. DVB-RCT will also be tested later and involve local government and other local interests. If successful it will probably be copied by other regions in Sweden. Source: Swedish Radio and TV Authority 2004 figures from Boxer Boxer, the Swedish DTT provider, ended the year 2004 with a total of 375,000 subscribers. With 175,000 new subscribers in 2004, Boxer increased its total number of subscribers by 88%. 55,000 subscribers joined Boxer in the final quarter of 2004. DTT growth is expected to continue in 2005 as Sweden begins to prepare for analogue switch-off. Three regions, Gävle, Motala/Linköping and Gotland, have been selected to begin analogue switch-off in the second half of 2005. Source: Digitag 20/1/05 attributed to Boxer press release SVT begins migration to Digital Broadcasting Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT is to begin the migration to all digital broadcasting during 2005. The Swedish government has announced on Wednesday that three small communities will switch off analogue transmissions next autumn. Up to 30,000 households will be impacted by the switch. SVT is investing around SKr300 million (€33m) in the transition ahead of full digital broadcasting by 2008. Ultimately the move will save the broadcaster an annual SKr150m. A full schedule for digital switchover in Sweden will be announced next year. Source: Broadband TV News 22nd December 2004 General Pilot trial 1st April 1999 Legislation in place May 1997 Soft launch April 1999 Full launch September 1999 Analogue switch off 1st February 2008* start 2Q, 2005 *98%+ pop. coverage at switch off Data Population 8.9 million (UN2003) TV households 3.98 million (2000) Cable penetration 50% DTT households 569 thousand Q2, 2006 Boxer only DTT penetration 6.6% 2Q, 2004 Source EBU DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes 4 (90% pop) +1 (50% pop) Operational bands UHF Carrier type 8k Guard 1/8 FEC 2/3 Modulation 64QAM Reception model SDTV pay+free, HDTV trialed 2003 MFN and SFN MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP 50kW Middleware Open-TV, MHP to be trialed in Gävle Channel bandwidths 8MHz Switzerland DTT to launch in Zurich Viewers in Zurich and the surrounding area will, be able to access DTT services by the end of May. The services available will include DRS-1, DRS-2, TRS-1 and TS-1. The launch of DTT services is taking place on a regional basis with those in French and Italian speaking regions already able to access DVB-T services. Full DVB-T coverage of Switzerland is expected by the end of 2007. Source: Teltarif.ch Item added: 7th May 2006 http://www.teltarif.ch/arch/2006/kw18/s5445.html Tessin becomes the first to switch off Analogue TV The canton of Tessin, an Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, will become the first to switch of its analogue television services on July 24th 2006. The switch off completes the transition to DTV which began on August 1st 2003 in the Tessin canton. The DTT roll-out in Switzerland will continue until the whole country has coverage in 2008. Complete analogue switch off is possible in 2009. Source: SRG SSR Item added: January 31st 2006 http://www.srgssrideesuisse.ch/125.0.html?&L=1&tx_ttnews%5btt_news% DVB-H pilot begins in Bern Around 100 people are now testing DVB-H technology for the delivery of TV and interactive services in Bern. The trial launched by Swisscom Broadcast and Swisscom mobile will continue until the end of the year. Test participants will have access to some 26 different television channels as well as interactive services using a Nokia 7710 smart-phone. The trial will focus on the suitability of DVB-H for TV delivery to mobile phones and also help resolve any technical problems in providing the service. Source: Swisscom Item added: November 1st, 2005 http://www.swisscom.com/ghq/content/media/medienmitteilungen/2005/20051101_01_mobiles_fer nsehen.htm SRG starts digital TV in the Geneva Lake region On 1st June 2005 Schweizerische Radio-und Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG) will start digital terrestrial TV transmissions in the Geneva Lake Léman region. DVB-T services are already available in the Engadin and Tessin areas and should be available in the whole of Switzerland by 2009. Source:http://www.werbewoche.ch/ Item added: 20th May 2005 Background In an article from SRG SSR idée Suisse, Inform tech (1/04) Tino Cocco describes some of the plans for DVB-T deployment in the French speaking parts of Switzerland. The Léman Basin, Fribourg region and Ollon, Bex and Lutschental should begin transmission by the end of 2004. The Bantiger, Aioie, Niederhorn, Chrischona and Val d’Herens regions should follow in 2005 with Jaun and Lenk in 2006. Unfortunately many of these plans can only go ahead if spectrum-planning agreements are completed satisfactorily with France and the next significant meeting is in July. The article show that in Geneva and other significant areas around main transmitters indoor portable reception will be possible. General Pilot Trial/tests 2000 Soft launch 2003/2004 Full launch 2005 Analogue switch off 2015 (DTT in place 2008) Data Population 7.1 million (UN 2003) TV households 2.9 million (2000) Cable penetration 80% DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes Operational bands Carrier type Modulation MFN and SFN Channel bandwidth 6 (in some regions) UHF 8k 64QAM MFN 8MHz Taiwan Analogue TV frequencies to be recalled in 2010 The government of Taiwan will recall its analogue TV frequencies in 2010 according to a cna.com.tw article. This will make way for full implementation of Digital TV, officials of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said recently. 14 DTV channels have been broadcasting since July 2004. In addition the government is to produce a timetable for the full digitization of TV in its "digital Taiwan project" which is a part of its " Challenge 2008" national development plan. Source: CNA.com Item added: 25th January 2006 Taiwan update Taiwan has not yet made a firm decision on an analogue switch off date but continues to go forward with Digital TV. We have recently been informed that from January 1st 2006 it is mandatory for all Digital TV receivers with 29 inch or larger screens to be certified to BSMI standards. The certification tests include conformance close to those used in the D-Book, EN55013/20 EMC standards and electrical safety. These tests will also become mandatory from January 1st, 2007 for sets with screens of 21 inches or larger and extended to all DTV sets by January 1st, 2008. At present certification of Set Top Boxes is voluntary. Source: Sporton Item added: 12th December 2005 Previous Taiwan goes forward with MHP SysMedia, has announced that its Plasma Magenta interactive TV content management and production system has been selected by Taiwan Television Enterprises (TTV) as a core part of its interactive DVB-MHP solution. Taiwan terrestrial broadcasters started broadcasting digital programs in July 2004 using DVB-T transmission system. DVB-MHP was also adopted for its interactive services. To accelerate its push for DVB-MHP, the Taiwan government provided financial help to establish the necessary systems, including to TTV which is the oldest terrestrial broadcaster in Taiwan. The next part of TTV's plan is to launch a trial of its enhanced and interactive digital television applications based on the DVB-MHP standard. Source: IABM announcement 8th April 2005 Nokia joins Taiwanese companies to test TV on mobile phones Nokia, in conjunction with media firms and telecom operators in Taiwan, is to promote a digital TV and radio service for mobile users and handheld devices. Partners in the alliance include Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd., Taiwan's largest phone company, compact disc maker CMC Magnetics Corp., which is diversifying into the digital content, and some local TV and radio stations. The development is the first such initiative in Asia, where a pilot service in Taiwan will begin in mid-2005 after a successful recent test was done in Helsinki using Nokia phones equipped with a special antenna. "The handset penetration rate in Taiwan is over 100 per cent and the island just started broadcasting digital TV last year, so it’s a good time to develop mobile TV," said Nokia. From Shveta Malik in New Delhi Source: Advanced-Television.com http://www.advanced-television.com/2005/news_archive_2005/Mar14_March18.htm Mobile DVB-T on the Buses in Taiwan On January the 19th, 2005 a new channel tailor-made for mobile reception was launched on bus services in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Kaohsiung joins other cities around the world who have also started mobile TV services such as Singapore, in 2001 and Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Mobile TV in 2002. Dimo TV, standing for "Digital Mobile Television" and broadcasts to 165 buses and 6 harbour ships. Dimo claims to be the pioneer of TV public service broadcasting to commuters with a service designed as a non-commercial and advertising-free channel to inform, educate and entertain passengers on public vehicles. To cover the whole metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, PTS has used a 5kW main transmitter and a smaller filler site on the 85th floor of its Grand Formosa Koahsiung building. General Pilot trial 2001 Legislation in place 2001 Soft launch 2004 Full launch 2005 Analogue switch off 2010 Taiwan CEPD Jan06 Data Population 22.5 million (UN2003) TV households 5.21 million (2002) Cable penetration 80% DTT households 130 thousand CEPD Jan06 Digital Cable households Q4-2002 start Digital Satellite households 100 thousand (2003) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes 5 planned initially Operational bands UHF only Carrier type 8k Guard 1/8 FEC 1/2 mainly, some 3/4 Modulation 16QAM Reception model Freeview, pay and Mobile MFN and SFN MFN and SFN Max. transmitter ERP 5kW, some 3kW Middleware MHP Channel bandwidth 6MHz DVB-H Trial planned mid 2005 Thailand Although the final decision has yet to be made on the DTV standard, DVB-T test transmissions have been conducted since 5th December 2000. The confirmation of the standard, and when services will begin, will be decided following the results of the trials. Source: ABU Technical Committee DTV status report. (Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004) Turkey DTT trial in Turkey begins Trial DTT broadcasts began in Ankara and Istanbul on February 3rd, 2006. The single DTT multiplex offers four television program services and is available in Ankara on channel 31 and in Istanbul on channel 23. Three of the program services are for use, at different times, by commercial broadcasters and the fourth is for use by TRT, Turkeys national public broadcaster. Source: Digitv-tr.org http://www.digitv-tr.org/display-en.asp?newsId=94 Item added: 7th February 2006 Background The Communications High Council has confirmed the DVB standard for Turkey. Transition will be taking place in three phases, test, simulcast and digital (analogue switch off) with a 10 year transition period tentatively agreed. Source: ABU Technical Committee Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004. Ukraine DTT services to be launched by end 2006 The National Council of Ukraine for TV and Radio Broadcasting has allocated four DTT multiplex licenses. It is likely that DTT services will begin at the end of 2006. As per the terms of the license, the multiplexes are to be used for test transmissions, lasting no more than one year, followed by the launch of commercial services. The licenses are granted for a 10 year period. The multiplex licenses have been allocated to Ukrainian Digital TV Network (UDTVN) and JSC, Era Production, Express Inform and Gamma Consulting. The service offering in each multiplex is as follows: Channel 41 multiplex license held by Era Production: - Era and National TV service - K-1 - K-2 - TRK Kyiv Channel 43 multiplex license held by Express Inform: - Channel 7 - Mriya TV - Megasport - Channel 5 Channel 51 mulitplex license held by UDTVN and JSC: - KDTRK - Tonis - 1+1 - Gravis Channel 64 multiplex license held by Gamma Consulting: - Operator's own service to be created - ICTV - Novy Kanal - M1 In addition, UDTVN is planning to launch a DVB-H trial in June 2006. Reported source: UDTVN Direct source: Digitag Item added: 16th May 2006 DTT background Reported on the Digitag website 15th February 2006 According to information received from DigiTAG member UDTVN, DTT developments are underway in the Ukraine. The National Television and Broadcasting Council of Ukraine has invited applicants to tender for 4 frequencies in Kyiv to be used for DTT services. The licence is valid for a 7 year period of which one year can be used to conduct HD and DVB-H tests. Applications must be received by 28 February 2006. In addition, President Yushchenko has signed a new television and broadcasting law. The new law provides the framework for the introduction of DTT services. It does not, however, provide specific dates for either the introduction of DTT services or analogue switch-off. Reported source: UDTVN Actual source: Digitag Item added: 15th February 2006 United Kingdom UK plans for digital switchover win International backing The UK delegation achieved International agreement for their plans for digital switchover at the recent ITU Regional Radiocomminications Conference (RRC-06) in Geneva. Broadcast signals from the UK can interfere with those in neighbouring countries and vice-versa. The UK’s plans for digital television switchover and the addition of new digital radio services were therefore dependant on successful negotiations with bordering countries, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and the republic of Ireland, amongst many others. The outcome is that the UK will be permitted to use all necessary transmitter sites to deliver Public Service Broadcasting digital television channels to 98.5% of the population, the same proportion already receiving analogue broadcasts. Commercial DTV channels will be able to reach up to 90% of the population. The flexibility to allocate spectrum released by digital television switchover on a technology and service neutral basis (subject to certain technical restrictions) was also agreed as well as the protection of non-broadcasting services- including mobile communications, radar and radio astronomy-within the frequency ranges reviewed. The agreements also protect existing analogue services from interference until switchover and will also allow international and bilateral agreements supporting UK plans for the further expansion of digital radio. Source: Ofcom Item added: 4th July 2006 Freeview set to overtake Sky According to a report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), the UK free-to-air DTT platform (Freeview) is on course to overtake BskyB’s pay satellite service by the end of 2006. At present the DTT platform has 27.3% of TV households while Sky has 31.5%. The report estimates that if DTT continues to grow at 2% per quarter, the same rate that it did in 2005, it will overtake the digital satellite platform, currently the most popular in the UK, by Q4 2006. Source: DTG Item added: 26th June 2006 HDTV trial over Terrestrial Digital TV has begun The joint BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five HDTV trial over DTT has begun. The BBC will be a simulcast its new HD channel, which is also available on satellite and cable, whilst ITV will broadcast its World Cup games, selected dramas and classic films in HD. Channel 4 plans to offer US imports such as Lost and Desperate Housewives plus movies from FilmFour. Five will air CSI and original programmes such as Tim Marlow at MOMA and movies such as Cocktail . The trial, to a closed audience of 450 homes in range of the Crystal Palace transmitter in London, will last for six months and the feedback from triallists, all provided with special HD DTT set-top boxes, will help determine whether to go forward with HD services and how to roll them out on the DTT platform in the future. Source: Digital Spy Item added: 12th June 2006 Digital TV overtakes Analogue TV in the UK Ofcom’s latest figures show that 18.2 million households were able to watch digital television at the end of March 2006. This is 72.5% of UK households. Digital Terrestrial households now total 7.09 million with Digital Satellite households still slightly greater at 7.69 million. This means that Digital Terrestrial household now exceed the number of analogue only households for the first time. Ofcom estimates that all the homes using DTT equipment to be around 8.8 million. DTT households grew by 600k during the first quarter and by the end of March 2006, 10.9 million DTT receivers had been sold. Off the 1.2 million DTT sales in the first quarter of the year an estimated 38% are for use on secondary sets in the home. Source: Ofcom Digital Progress report Q1 2006 Item added: 8th June 2006 Final results of Oxford DVB-H trial Once consumers understand how technology works they use it more, an old adage that seems to be borne out by the results of the Oxford DVB-H trial, according to the Guardian. The six month trial of mobile television in Oxford by mobile operator O2 and broadcast provider Arqiva had 375 consumers, who spent an average of four hours watching TV on their mobiles. They had 16 channels available to view and watched in more varying locations as they became more familiar with the technology. By the end of the trial 37% of the viewing was during the daily commute, with peak viewing in the mornings and early evenings. As the trial progressed home viewing dropped to 32% as commuter viewing increased. News and soaps were the most popular content with news bulletins drawing a 44% share of viewers and 36% watching soaps. Overall 85% of users said that they were satisfied or more than satisfied with mobile television while 72% said that they would take up services within a year of a launch. O2 and Arqiva are planning to extend the trial into the Autumn and possible offer interactive services. Source: Guardian Unlimited Item added: 1st June 2006 http://money.guardian.co.uk/businessnews/story/0,,-1784974,00.html Arqiva selected as BBC's preferred supplier for DTT transmission Subject to a final signed agreement the BBC has announced that transmission supplier Arqiva has been selected for the design, deployment and operation of a new High-Powered digital terrestrial television network. The present low power DTT network was used to launch services in the UK on a non-interference basis with the existing analogue network. The plan to switch from analogue to digital services by region and on a progressive basis finally allows the correct powers to be used for a nationwide service. According to the BBC the new network will largely replicate the existing analogue coverage areas. The new network will come into service progressively from 2008 to 2012 in line with the Government plan. Original source: DTG More information: Aqiva press release Item added: 23rd May 2006 BBC launch free-to-air HD trial BBC HD will start broadcasting on Monday May 15th with a test stream previewing forthcoming programmes. The first live HD programme will be the opening World Cup match, Germany versus Costa Rica, on Friday June 9th. BBC commentary and studio coverage HD will wrap up the HD feed from German host broadcasters HBS (Host Broadcaster Services) The HD trial will run for 12 months and will feature some of the BBC’s most ambitious programmes, such as natural history series Planet Earth and Galapagos, drama documentary Hannibal and some BBC Proms concerts including the first and last nights all in HD quality. The amount of new programmes each day will vary, averaging between one and two hours. Some programmes will be simulcast with BBC ONE or, in a few instances, BBC TWO. Others will be time-shifted or offer another chance to view past dramas such as Bleak House and Hotel Babylon, which were originally made in HD. The BBC will provide its stream on all technically capable platforms such as satellite and cable as a free-to view service during the trial although HD set top boxes are required to receive the signals. In an FAQ on the BBC website it states that both 1080i and 720p streams will be broadcast during the trial and equipments must be capable of displaying both for complete test reception. Due to lack of free spectrum for terrestrial platforms the streams will only be available to a few hundred trial households in London. Source: BBC website Item added: 17th May 2006 Ofcom allows Pay TV services on all multiplexes Following a public consultation, which ended on January 11th 2006, Ofcom has announced that the previous restrictions allowing only Free-to-view services on multiplexes B, C and D have now been lifted. The BBC and National Grid Wireless were awarded the multiplexes in 2002 following the collapse of ITVdigital and this decision now allows them to have Pay-TV services on these multiplexes once again. National Grid Wireless currently owns multiplexes C And D while the BBC owns Multiplex B as Free-to-View Ltd. Source: Ofcom Item added: 20th April 2006 450 Londoners sought for HD trial as ITV joins the BBC The UK's public service broadcasters are seeking 450 volunteers in London to take part in a six-month trial of high-definition television broadcast via the digital terrestrial platform. The BBC and ITV will air World Cup football matches during the trial while Channel 4 and Five will broadcast high-definition versions of broadcast programmes. The trial uses local frequencies made available by a development licence from media regulator Ofcom. Beyond the trial, capacity for HD broadcasts on the digital terrestrial platform will be limited until regions start the switch to digital-only television under the Government's 2008-2012 timetable. Liberated spectrum could be used for HD services, though policymakers have yet to decide the process by which it might be allocated, and how much capacity will be given to the digital terrestrial platform. "This trial will allow us to evaluate the technology and give us valuable insight into viewer attitudes to HD, helping to show the possibilities for HD broadcasts over DTT post-switchover," said Simon Fell, ITV's controller of emerging technologies. Source: DTG website Item added: 11th Parliament publishes report on Analogue Switch Off (ASO) The House of Commons Committee on Culture, Media and Sport published its report Analogue Switch–off: A signal change in television. The report commends the government for its adoption of a firm and early timetable for analogue switch-off. It suggests that the timetable is technically realistic, but will require maximum support from Ofcom, effective management by Digital UK and clear leadership by the Government. Source: UK Parliament website Item added: 30th March 2006 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmcumeds/650/65002.htm Arqiva warns on HD delays to digital terrestrial According to Broadcast magazine, Arqiva has warned Ofcom that delays in deciding whether Freeview will carry HD channels could result in a £70 million pound bill. Apparently this is because certain transmiters in Scotland, Wales, the West Country and north-west England need to be modified for switchover this summer by Arqiva, but the work does not include preparations for HD. Broadcast magazine quoted an Arqiva spokesman as saying that a delay now could leave large areas of the UK without digital Terrestrial HD until 2013. He said that "It is inconceivable that digital terrestrial TV will not support HD in the future. How can 50% of the population be denied coverage of the London Olympics in HD?" Initial source: DTG Item added: 7th March, 2006 BBC commits to HD of Freesat and online (iMP) BBC new media chief Ashley Highfield has confirmed plans to make high-definition (HD) programmes available via the corporation's integrated media player and free satellite platform. The BBC has been working together with ITV on the launch of this new free-to-view satellite service which has the capacity to launch both HD and SD services, unlike the terrestrial platform freeeview which already uses all the currently available spectrum for SDTV. The announcement comes as BSkyB are expected to launch commercial HD services within three months. Sources: DTG and Financial Times Item added: 23rd February 2006 Oxford DVB-H trial users overwhelmingly in favour of mobile services UK mobile operator O2 has revealed the results of its trial of broadcast television to mobile phones in Oxford, suggesting that users were overwhelmingly favourable towards the service and the majority would consider subscribing. The results indicate that 83% were satisfied with the service, while 76% would take up the service within 12 months. Using Nokia 7710 phones viewers averaged three hours/week viewing time with some watching for as many as five hours. Although the trial was a success the lack of a spectrum allocation for the service is a major obstacle. At present mobile TV has not been included in the current frequency allocations but it is hoped that this can be rectified long before the analogue switch of in 2012, when additional spectrum will become available. Main sources: Informitv Stuff Magazine Item added: 18th January 2006 http://informitv.com/articles/2006/01/17/oxfordtrialshows/index.shtml http://www.stuffmagazine.co.uk/hotstuffarticle.asp?de_id=1101 DTV receiver sales up 25% UK broadcast minister James Purnell says that around 800,000 digital television receivers were bought by consumers in the run up to Christmas, a rise of 25% over the run-up to Christmas 2004. Purnell said that the sales demonstrate that the Digital message was "starting to get out there". Tessa Jowell, culture secretary and Purnell'ss announced the digital switchover timetable in September. At the time it was mentioned that the scheme would also fund equipment for households with one person 75 or over and one person with significant disability. Source: DTG Item added: 17th January 2006 Sky claims 8 million DTH customers In a recent press release Sky claim that the subscriber base for its satellite television service has reached 8 million. Source: Sky press release Item added: 23rd December 2005 http://www.skypressoffice.co.uk/SkyProductsServices/News/showarticle.asp?id=1911&year=2005# 65.9% of UK households now watching digital television As of September 30th digital television was viewed in 65.9% of UK households according to Ofcom. This was up from 63% in the last quarter. In total 16.5 million households watch digital television, with more than 5.775 million watching free-to-view DTV, 575 thousand of these using satellite platforms (DVB-S) and the rest watching terrestrial broadcasts (DVB-T). The total number of BSkyB subscribers is now 7.472 million up 48 thousand since Q3, 2005. Source: Ofcom Item added: 15th December 2005 Companies push to be first with HDTV BSkyB has revealed more details of its upcoming HDTV line-up according to a Digital Spy article on November 22nd. Sky Sports HD, Sky Movies and Artsworld will be broadcast in HD as well as Sky One which will be simulcast. Other broadcasters such as Discovery, National Geographic and the BBC are also expected to launch HD channels broadcast using MPEG-4 / H.264 compression and using DVB-S2 transmission technology. With Sky likely to launch in April 2006, cable operator, Telewest is attempting to be the first to launch HD in the UK, starting before the end of the first quarter of 2006 on its cable network. Source: digital spy Item added: 29th November 2005 Ofcom begins the Digital Dividend Review (DDR) Ofcom announced on the 17th October, the start of the Digital Dividend Review, a project which will examine the options arising from the release of spectrum afforded by the digital switchover programme. Digital broadcasting uses approximately six times less spectrum than the existing analogue equivalent. The switch to digital only services will consequently release a large amount of spectrum, which can be used for other services. The cleared spectrum – the Digital Dividend – offers real opportunities for wireless innovation and could enable the launch of a wide range of new and different services. Ofcom estimates that 112 MHz of UHF spectrum will be released for new uses when analogue services are switched off. The proposed timetable is as follows: *Digital Dividend Review (DDR) begins – Nov 2005 *Programme team and consultants in place – end 2005 *Stakeholder meetings begin – Jan- Feb 2006 *Outcome of RRC - June 2006 *DDR completed - Q3 2006 *Ofcom publishes final proposals - Q4 2006 *Digital switchover programme begins - 2008 *Digital switchover programme completed - 2012 Source: Ofcom Item added: 21st November 2005. Indicative cost and power consumption projections for digital switchover It is estimated that around 10% of UK households will be reluctant to move to digital voluntarily or may find it difficult to do so for a range of reasons. Ofcom today (8th Nov 2005) publishes research which sets out the associated cost and power consumption requirements for those who would not have switched. Key findings include: By 2008, average purchase price per television set-top box to view Freeview digital terrestrial television (DTT) will be around £26. Other digital television choices include digital satellite, digital cable and television over broadband services, where the set-top box can be provided for free or bundled together with a subscription to other services. Existing VCR video recorders will still be able to record and play back programmes which are broadcast digitally and DVD players will not need to be replaced. However, viewing one channel whilst recording another could require a new hard-disk recording device with an average retail price of £80. At a per-household average of two television sets and one VCR, indicative equipment purchase costs for all-digital television viewing over DTT together with simultaneous digital recording would be £132. Power consumption requirements for digital equipment will account for between £2 and £8 of average annual household electricity bills. Around 2% of roof-top aerials belonging to non-voluntary households will be at an average per-installation cost of £125. A round half of television set-top aerials (typically used with smaller portable televisions) will need replacement at a cost of £20-£40. Preparing the last 10% of households for all-digital television broadcasting between 2008-12 will cost £572 million, equivalent to 2% of UK consumer spending on all home entertainment equipment over the same period. The addition of these remaining households will not have a material effect on the UK’s total electrical power consumption needs, which will increase by 31MWh per day, equivalent to each UK household running a child’s nightlight for around ten minutes per day. Over time, as older equipment is replaced and technology becomes more power efficient, this differential is expected to move towards zero. Source: Ofcom (full report) Item added: 6th November 2005 UK switch-over timetable confirmed Tessa Jowell, the UK Secretary for Culture, confirmed the previously proposed switch-over timetable in her key-note speech at the Royal Television Society(RTS) convention in Cambridge last week. Jowell said that a support scheme funded from the UK licence income would provide digital equipment for households with one person over 75 or over, or households with one person having significant disability. The switchover will be co-ordinated by Digital UK (DigitalUK.co.uk) , the industry-funded body formerly known as SwitchCo. TV Region Proposed Date Border 2008 2nd half West Country 2009 1st half HTV Wales 2009 2nd half Granada 2009 2nd half HTV West 2010 1st half Grampian 2010 1st half Scottish TV 2010 2nd half Yorkshire 2011 1st half Anglia 2011 1st half Central 2011 1st half Meridian 2012 1st half Carlton/LWT 2012 1st half Tyne Tees 2012 2nd half Ulster 2012 2nd half Channel To be announced Source:DTG Item added: 19th September 2005 Digital penetration reaches 63% Recent figures from Ofcom show that the number of digital households in the UK increased from 61.9% in the first quarter of 2005 to 63% in the second quarter of the year. Ofcom estimates that the number of DTT only homes had grown to 5,178,000 by the end of June 2005. This is an increase of 118,000 homes compared with the first quarter of the year. A total of 7,892,500 DTT set-top boxes and iDTVs have been sold in the UK according to Ofcom. Source:Ofcom Item added: 19th September 2005 New report for the "Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings" A report from Analysys Mason, commissioned by the Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings, has just been released. The principle objective of the study was to forecast the future demand for radio spectrum in the UK for commercial services (non-governmental) use within the 0-15GHz frequency range. There is a considerable section on Television which mentions both SDTV and HDTV requirements and touches on future mobile TV services. Demand forecasts were developed for the next 20 years (2005-2025), but with a particular focus on the next 10 years (2005-2015) The Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings was announced by the Chancellor in his December-2004 Pre-Budget Report and is being conducted by Professor Martin Cave. Source: Spectrum report Item added: 6th September 2005 http://www.spectrumaudit.org.uk/pdf/spectrum_demand.pdf Planning Options for Digital Switchover (Ofcom) Ofcom has now published the results of its consultation process on planning for the digital switchover of terrestrial television in the UK. Its main conclusions are  That all three public service multiplexes should aim to achieve similar levels of coverage by adopting the same mode of operation and similar power levels.  Commercial multiplex operators should be able to determine their own coverage objectives but must not let the coverage of any multiplex fall below its present levels of 73%.  Ofcom is also on favour of Public service multiplex broadcasters using 64QAM at switchover to maximise the number of channels available. But it makes the proviso that this should only happen if steps are being taken to ensure that coverage would reach 98.5% of the population, as analogue PBS services do at present and that switchover can be achieved between 2008 and 2012.  Ofcom has decided that it is essential that 8k be used at switchover in areas where SFN’s will be in operation such as the Meridian and Anglia regions. The rest of the UK will adopt the 8k format by 2012 or earlier if the impact on existing 2k viewers is shown to be small. The full report can be seen on the Ofcom website Item added 2nd June 2005 Previous Details of Oxford DVB-H trial emerge The trial by NTL Broadcast and O2, using the DVB-H specification to deliver video programmes to mobile phone handsets, starts in September and will run for six months. Performance testing begins in July and software developed for the project will allow the activities of the 350 O2 customers, taking part in the trial, to be monitored. The initial batch of TV channels available include, BSkyB (Sky News, Sky Sports News, Sky Travel), Chart Show Channels Ltd (Chart Show TV), Discovery Networks Europe (Discovery Channel), Sports International (Shorts TV - bespoke short film channel) and Turner Broadcasting (CNN, Cartoon Network). Eventually 16 channels will be available during the six month trial. For additional information see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4533205.stm Item added: 17th May 2005 UK analogue switch off begins Analogue services around the Welsh villages of Ferryside and Llansteffan were switched off at the end of March. Only digital services now remain as part of a DTT trail. Villagers have been using their free Freeview boxes since late last year and a survey revealed that 98% would be happy for the analogue services to be switched off. 465 households are participating in the trial which began in November 2004 and is designed to see how the UK will cope with the digital switchover, scheduled to start in 2007. UK switchover timetable announced Ofcom has finally made official the timetable for UK digital switchover. The proposals provide detail on when each of the 15 regions, based on the old ITV franchise map, will move to digital-only broadcasting in a staged switchover between 2008 and 2012. The publication is still in the draft form and requires government approval. This will presumably wait until after the General Election. Commercial broadcasters are obligated to move to digital transmissions by December 31, 2012 following the issue of their Digital Replacement Licences. Digital television currently reaches some 73% of the UK, but it is not possible to significantly increase coverage until the existing analogue services are switched off. Viewers in the Border, Westcountry and HTV Wales regions will be the first to switch to digital in 2008 followed by Granada, HTV West, Grampian, Scottish (2009), Central, Yorkshire and Anglia (2010), Meridian, London. Tyne Tees and Ulster (2011) and finally Channel in 2012. Source: Broadband TV News, February 10th 2005 For the original Ofcom article click on: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/dsoind/smup/ General Pilot trial 1996 Legislation in place July 1996 Soft launch September 1998 Full launch November 1998 Analogue switch off start 2007, December 31st 2012 completion Data Population 59.2 million (UN 2003) TV households 24.8 million (2003) Cable penetration 3.318 million (Q1,2006, Ofcom) Digital TV households 18.27 million (Q1,2006, Ofcom) DTT penetration 7.09 Million (Q1,2006, Ofcom) Digital Cable households 2.79 million (Q1,2006, Ofcom) Digital Satellite households 7.692 million (Q1,2006, Ofcom) incudes some ADSL users Freeview Digital Satellite 645,000 (Q1,2006, Ofcom) DVB-T Parameters Multiplexes 6 (4-16QAM, 2-64QAM) (64QAM now recommended for switchover) Operational bands UHF only Carrier type 2k at present. All to be 8k by 2012 Guard 1/32 FEC 3/4 for 16QAM, 2/3 for 64QAM Modulation most 16QAM, 2 MUX 64QAM Reception model fixed, external antenna MFN and SFN MFN Max. transmitter ERP 20kW (likely to change during switchover process) Uruguay Regulator plans to decide on Digital TV standard Uruguayan telecoms regulator URSEC plans to decide this year which digital standard to use in the country according to reports on the TMC.net website attributed to local newspaper La Republica. URSEC is organizing a technical seminar to start a discussion on the subject planned to take place on International Telecommunications Day, May 17th. URSEC has created a technical group, including engineers, economists, and lawyers who will look at all aspects of digital television and determine the best ways to implement it in Uruguay. The report goes on to say that Uruguay is likely to adopt the same standard as Brazil a decision which is still to be made. Source:TMC.net http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/05/12/1648370.htm Item added: 23rd May 2006 USA New entrant to the DVB-H scene in the USA 24 April 2006 Hiwire, a subsidiary of Aloha Partners, announced today (24 April) at NAB 2006, that it will use DVB-H technology to launch a mobile TV trial in autumn of this year. Aloha Partners owns a large allotment of 700 MHz spectrum across the USA, consisting of 12 MHz across channels 54 and 59. Hiwire has partnered with SES Americom to provide a distribution network for the planned nationwide service. Hirwire claims that its spectrum at 700 MHz will be more suited to providing a DVB-H network than that of its DVB-H competitor, Modeo, which owns nationwide spectrum at 1600 MHz. Scott Wills, president of Hiwire, said that his company will be able to offer in-building at a much lower network cost. More information at www.dvb-h.org Source: DVB Item added: 25th April 2006 Spectrum auctions set for June 29th Anonymous bidding is to be allowed in the forthcoming FCC spectrum auctions in an attempt to prevent collusion between bidders. The FCC auction starts on June 29th and winning bidders will be able to use the spectrum to offer advanced wireless services such as video and high-speed Internet access. The auction will include 1122 licenses in the 1710-1755MHz and 2110-2155MHz bands. The government expects to raise $8-$10 billion and has set a reserve price of $2 billion which is the estimated cost of relocating federal government entities currently operating in the 1710-1755MHz band. Major mobile operators are expected to bid for the new allocations. Source: Beyond the Headlines Item added: 18th April 2006 http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/bth/20060417/#spectrumspectrum Modeo Introduces DVB-H mobile phone at CTIA in Las Vegas Modeo will host live demonstrations of a new, production-ready DVB-H integrated smart phone at CTIA WIRELESS 2006 in Las Vegas from April 5 to 7. The handset is designed to operate on the DVB-H standard for delivery of TV to handhelds. The Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 platform software is used. The handset produced by HTC in Taiwan to Modeo's specification also has full GSM coverage using the 850/900/1800/1900MHz bands. The handset is also expected to support GPRS/Edge services. Live demonstrations are planned throughout the show. Modeo successfully pilot tested its DVB-H mobile broadcast network in Pittsburgh during 2005 and plans an official launch of the service during 2006 in selected major markets, including New York. The company is currently working on the deployment of the network to the top 30 U.S. markets, with launches targeted through out 2007. Source: Wireless IQ Item added: 6th April 2006 http://www.wirelessiq.com/content/newsfeed/6823.html Analogue shutoff date confirmed Congress voted last week to set the official date for analogue spectrum handover at February 17th 2009. By then all analogue TV services will have ceased transmission. Also voted was a $1.5 billion subsidy package designed to help families in need purchase digital-to-analogue set-top converter boxes. Full article: BroadcastEngineering Item added: 7th February 2006 http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/bth/20060206/# Modeo set to launch video service to mobiles in the USA Crown Castle Mobile Media has changed its name to Modeo prior to launching live mobile TV services in the top 30 markets, starting this year and planned for completion in 2007. At the CES convention in Las Vegas the company demonstrated the Modeo service, which uses DVB-H technology, with device manufacturers Motorola and Nokia. One of the markets is New York and Modeo will target a broad range of mobile devices including cell phones, laptops, portable media players and personal digital assistants with an easy-to-use service that delivers live news, sports, music and entertainment programming according to an article from the web bases Broadcastengineering. Item added: 10th January 2006 Analogue switch off now February 17th 2009 The U.S. House of Representatives approved a switch off date for analogue transmissions of February 17th 2009 as part of the budget reconciliation bill, which included the DTV Transition Act, on February 17th, 2009. The vote of 212 for and 206 against set the hard date for cessation of analog transmission and allocated $1.5 billion to assist the owners of the estimated 73 million television sets used for over-the-air viewing with the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter box. Source: Broadcastengineering Item added: 23rd December 2005 Previous Senate Committee approves April 7th 2009 switch off The Senate Commerce Committee has approved legislation to extend the U.S. Digital TV transition date to April 2009. The bill includes $3 billion for subsidies for Americans who can not afford a digital converter box. Without the box, a Digital TV, or a cable or satellite receiver, Americans would be unable to watch TV when the transition occurs. The Senate is expected to approve the bill, but some House Republicans have objected to the $3 billion subsidy plan. Source: Swanni Sez Oct 21st 2005 Item added: 25th October 2005 http://www.tvpredictions.com/newsletter.html April 7th 2009, Senate date for Analogue switch-off An April 2009, switch-off date for analogue TV has been proposed in a draft of the Senate Commercial Committee bill sponsored by the committee chairman, Ted Stevens and ranking member Sen. Daniel Inouye. The Stevens-Inouye bill was aimed at meeting the panel's budget obligations set by the Senate earlier in the year. The bill would require the FCC to auction the recovered analogue TV spectrum starting in January 2008- a move expected to raise $10 billion. A vote on the bill is expected shortly. Source: Multichannel News Item added: 18th October 2005 http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6272985.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP Live DVB-H demonstrated at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show in San Francisco On the 27th September, at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2005 show in San Francisco, Intel demonstrated multichannel TV broadcast to Windows-based mobile devices equipped with add-on DIBcom DVB-H receivers, a first in the United States. Previous demonstrations at the NAB show in Las Vegas used localised transmissions on UHF TV frequencies. This demonstration used the Crown Castle International broadcast network infrastructure on the 1670MHz USA wide, band. The demonstration included live brand-name TV services, digital music and feature-length movies beamed from terrestrial transmitters using the Digital Video Broadcast to Handheld protocol DVB-H. The media content was encoded using Microsoft Windows Media 9 codec. Penthera's Athena-TV (TM) software system provided the user interface. The country-wide 1670MHz allocation is 5MHz wide and was obtained by Crown Castle specifically to build and operate a dedicated DVB-H network in the USA. Source: Quote.com Item added: 29th September 2005 http://www.quote.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=200509271550_BWR__BW5846&symbols=QCN EWS:0 NAB agrees to 2009 DTV deadline Though the political jockeying may never end, the DTV transition appears to be coming to a conclusion according to an article on Broadcast Engineering's Automation Update. It goes further to say that a January 1st, 2009 analogue shutoff date is about as certain as things get in Washington D.C and adds the comment that "all that is left to learn is whether the digital transmission technology (namely, the 8-VSB modulation scheme ) actually works for mass audiences in real world conditions". Click here to read the full article Item added: 25th July 2005 http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/automation_update/20050721/# Analogue Switch off in 2008 House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton and other lawmakers agreed that December 31st 2008 would be the probable date for analogue television switch off in the USA. While setting a date is an important step, it’s only one of many needed to bring the transition to a successful completion, and it appeared that as of last week, lawmakers had not yet agreed on anything else. Although many members from both sides of the aisle agreed that a government subsidy for a digital-to-analogue converter was important, they disagreed over the scope of any such program. Most Republicans favoured limiting the subsidy to poor families, while Democrats favoured a subsidy for all 21 million TV households that do not subscribe to satellite or cable. Source: HD Technology Update e-newsletter, 8th June 2005. Item added: 9th June 2005 Crown Castle opens Window for mobile TV Crown Castle Mobile Media has selected Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Video 9 and Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) 10 for its Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) broadcast service deployment in the US. Crown Castle Mobile Media intends to build and operate a dedicated DVB-H network for broadcasting digital television content to mobile devices including cell phones. The proposed network will utilize 5 MHz of unencumbered nationwide spectrum acquired by Crown Castle from the Federal Communications Commission in 2003. Source: Advanced-Television.com (Colin Mann) Added: 26th April 2005 Mobile in the USA In DVB-SCENE Issue 13, page 7, NickDavies, CTO, Crown Castle Mobile Media, describes the progress of their DVB-H network in Pittsburgh, PA. S2 Covers America In the same DVB-Scene the article on page 11 describes how DirecTV will use DVB-S2 to deliver "hundreds" of HD channels to the American public in the near future. DVB-SCENE Issue 13 can be downloaded, free of charge, from the following link http://www.dvb.org/documents/newsletters/DVB-SCENE_Issue_13-Final.pdf Background DVB-S, the satellite specification, is used for broadcast DTH delivery all over the USA for both HDTV and SDTV services. DVB-C, the cable standard, is also used in parts of the USA and since both are based on a DVB common core the interchange of programs from one system to another is very easy. For HDTV terrestrial broadcasting to fixed receivers the USA uses the ATSC 8-VSB system and not the DVB-T standard which is already used in most countries around the world… 8-VSB is not suitable for mobile or pedestrian portable applications and to fill this gap in performance DVB-H an extension of the DVB-T system for video and data delivery to mobile phones and PDA's is being trialed in the Pittsburgh area of the USA by Crown Castle. Last year Crown Castle won a government auction for a 5MHz spectrum slot in L-band extending across the whole of the USA and now intends to use DVB-H as the technology of choice for the delivery of data and video to hand portable devices. DVB-H uses data in IP packet form, sent in small time limited bursts. By sequencing other programs together in this way a receiving device only needs to be switched on for a short time to access the required program. This saves a tremendous amount of battery power allowing several hours continuous use on a single charge. Vietnam Digital TV in Vietnam Grows The Vietnam Television Technology Investment and Development Company (VTC) has received permission from the Government Office to provide DVB-T broadcast services nationwide. VTC has piloted broadcasting local and international DVB-T programs for three years, but the green light from the government will now allow the station to broadcast to all 64 Vietnamese provinces and cities. SCTV, which supplies Digital Video Broadcast-Cable (DVB-C) services, will also launch DVB-T services next month. BTV in southern Vietnam has expanded its DVB-T coverage to select Mekong Delta provinces since early 2005. Currently its DVB-C services supply 24 channels, and the number could rise to 32. HTV is also speeding up to launch DVB-C services in HC Source: Thanhnien News 4th April 2005 http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=5957 Background Vietnam has been transmitting DVB-T signals in Hanoi since March 2001. Later a transmitter was also installed in Ho Chi Minh City and both stations continued trial transmissions. The knowledge base has increased steadily over the years and some Vietnamese based manufactures are now producing there own transmission equipment. Barry Tew 19th April 2005