In a post to RapidTVNews.com, Juan Fernandez Gonzalez reports Spain to license five more DTT channels. “Following the spectrum reorganisation which is moving all free-to-air (FTA) DTT networks to the 700Mhz band, Spain's Ministry of Industry has confirmed five new networks will be licensed within the first half of 2015, four high definition (HD) and one standard definition (SD),” he writes
He notes, however, “The country's FTA offer was drastically reduced last April when nine channels were closed down following a decision from the Supreme Tribunal backed up by the European Commission, but now minister José Manuel Soria is said to be ready to open a new bidding process to increase the FTA schedule.”
According to the article, Spain's spectrum plan will move TV broadcasters from 800 MHz, which they have to leave to make room for LTE technologies and find a place in the 700 MHz spectrum.
Gonzalez said, “The plan is affecting half of the aerials currently in use in Spain and the government will pay for adaptation in over a million buildings, spending nearly €300 million. The changes need to be done before the end of the year, otherwise the buildings will likely miss out on 10 percent of the DTT signal.”
