Romania’s Strategy For Digital TV Switch To Be Ready In Next Two-Three Mos – Min

Romania’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology will present, in the next two-three months, a new strategy for the switch from analog to digital television, IT&C Minister Valerian Vreme said in a press conference Wednesday.

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Vreme said a certain body within the ministry is tasked with drafting the strategy, which, he added, will be in line with the decisions of the Council of Europe in the field.

Asked about the ministry's further procedure to award a digital TV operation license to a state-owned company, Vreme said several options are being considered. He added the National Radio Company SNR or the National Television Company TVR might be awarded digital operation license and stressed the finalization of the strategy in the field will provide information and data on further procedures in the upcoming years.

Vreme told MEDIAFAX last week the ministry plans to award to a state-owned company one of the country's first two digital TV operation licenses, which will be operated by the radio company. Vreme also said at the time that, without a digital TV operation license, the radio company will face big problems in the future. He stressed that such a license will allow the company to scrap layoff plans and keep its employees, at least, for the next two-three years, considering that two recent audits indicated the company must sack almost 750 employees.

In August this year, the Government issued Decision 833/2010, which postponed the transition from analog to digital television until January 1, 2015. Romanian telecom regulator ANCOM said at the time it had not been consulted in the drafting of the decision.

The adoption of the decision compelled the regulator to cancel the tender it has set off to award the country's first two digital TV operation licenses. ANCOM president Catalin Marinescu said at the time the delay would put Romania even further behind the rest of the European Union as regards the adoption of digital television and access to broadband Internet.

Romania has committed to the European Union to carry out the transition from analog to digital television until January 1, 2012.

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