Norkring gains Finnish DTT licence

The Finnish government has granted a licence to Telenor-owned transmission services provider Norkring to operate a digital-terrestrial network in the country.

The government has awarded licences to operate digital-terrestrial services for the period 2017-27, adding Norkring to a group that includes Anvia, DNA Welho and Digita.

Norkring, which is the biggest provider of terrestrial digital broadcast services in Norway, will operate services in the UHF band on Finland’s B, C and D multiplexes.

Existing licence holders DNA Welho and Digital operate VHF services on multiplex A, B and C, and UHF services on multiplexes A and F respectively. Anvia operates a regional multiplex in Ostrobothnia, a region in western Finland on the coast of Gulf of Bothnia where a majority of the population are Swedish speakers.

According to the government, Norkring’s entry into the market will not cause any changes to existing antenna systems. Finland is set to switch to DVB-T2 technology from 2017, gradually increasing the use of the UHF band. One multiplex, A, is reserved for basic bradcasts in DVB-T until 2016. From 2017 UHF C, UHF, E and the Ostrobothnia mux will operate on a technology-neutral basis, with the operator choosing which technology to use.