Austria

[AT] Fresh Approach to Digitisation Plan

IRIS 2007-10:1/6

Robert Rittler

Gassauer-Fleissner Attorneys at Law, Vienna

The communications authority in Austria (KommAustria) has published a fresh version of the digitisation plan from 2003 and 2005 developed jointly by the “Digital Platform Austria” Association and the Ministry for Women, Media and the Public Service.

In the new plan, emphasis is placed upon making provision for DVB-T transmission for local and regional programme producers. With the developing digitisation of analogue frequencies over the last few years, viewers have drifted towards receiving the digital version of TV broadcasts. The producers of regional TV programmes, all of whom transmit in analogue, may consequently lose out in terms of technical reach. To provide these TV producers with access to digital broadcasting, multiplex platforms for regional TV are to be opened for applications. This is also the case with local TV programmes broadcast, up until now, only over cable networks.

The second facet is the introduction of mobile terrestrial television in the DVB-H standard. The legal requirements for mobile terrestrial TV have, in the meantime, come into force. TV broadcasters and mobile operators are looking forward to a rise in demand thanks to mobile TV in the DVB-H standard. This technology means that higher image quality can be delivered with technical stability irrespective of the number of users. The authors of the digitisation plan expect that this offering will be available by the beginning of the final round of the 2008 European football championship.