Albania

[AL] Law on Digital Television Approved

IRIS 2007-8:1/6

Hamdi Jupe

Albanian Media Monitoring Center

The Albanian Parliament approved, on 28 May 2007, the Law on digital broadcasting in the Republic of Albania. It is the first law on digital broadcasting television in the country.

Digital broadcasting via both terrestrial and satellite technology started in Albania in July 2004. The private company “Digitalb” has since that time been the only operator that is offering television programmes via digital technology. It is using four frequencies without licence to offer to the subscribers 36 Albanian and additional foreign television channels. There are now about 200,000 subscribers on terrestrial television from about 800,000 television set top boxes in the country.

Under the new law provisions are made for seven frequencies for national public and private digital providers. Two of these will be used by the Public Radio Television and five other frequencies will be used by private operators. By law, only one frequency will be provided for every private digital provider.

The National Council of Radio and Television is the body that will issue the licences and also monitor the activity of the operators in this field.