RCS & RDS and SNR submit bids for Romania’s DTT platform

Romanian cable operator RCS & RDS and state-owned transmission services provider Societăţii Naţionale de Radiocomunicaţii (SNR) have each submitted bids to operate five digital-terrestrial TV multiplexes ahead of the deadline set by telecom regulator ANCOM as the country moves towards a long-delayed digital transition.

ANCOM will review the bids by next Thursday and decide whether to proceed to the next stage, with an evaluation of the initial offers to be completed by May 22.

According to ANCOM, if demand exceeds the number of multiplexes that are available, a decision will be taken through a series of auction rounds.

ANCOM launched a tender for the 10-year DTT multiplex licences at the end of March. There are four UHF multiplexes and one in VHF.

The first multiplex, allocated to free-to-air services, must reach 90% of the country’s population and cover 80% of its physical area by the end of 2016.The remaining muliplexes must deploy at least 36 transmitters in their coverage area by May 2017. Services will be deployed using DVB-T2 modulation.

ANCOM president Catalin Marinescu made a commitment last year to complete digital switchover by June 17 2015.