Romania

[RO] Regional digital multiplexes granted

IRIS 2015-5:1/33

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

On 12 February 2015, the Autoritatea Naţională pentru Administrare şi Reglementare în Comunicaţii (National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications - ANCOM), the telecom authority in Romania, announced that the auction for awarding regional digital television multiplexes in Romania has been completed. Following the allocation round, the allotted multiplexes and the amounts the bidders will pay for them were established (see IRIS 2010-3/34, IRIS 2010-7/32, IRIS 2010-9/35, IRIS 2011-4/33, IRIS 2013-6/30, IRIS 2014-4/26, IRIS 2014-5/29, IRIS 2014-9/27).

The companies Regal and Cargo Sped entered the allocation round, during which the specific allocation for the categories with several regional multiplexes available was determined, upon the bidders’ payment of an additional amount for the preferred allocation of the acquired multiplexes. The Regal acquired one regional multiplex (Râmnicu Vâlcea, in the sounthern part of Romania) for EUR 8 010 (representing the licence fee), whereas Cargo Sped won one regional multiplex (Sibiu in central Romania) for EUR 8 001. The company 2K Telecom acquired five regional multiplexes (four in Bucharest, the capital city, and one in Ploiești, southern Romania) for which it will pay EUR 52 000, Radio M Plus obtained one regional multiplex (Iași, north/eastern Romania) for EUR 10 000, and Digital Video Broadcast won one regional multiplex (Satu Mare, north-western Romania) and will have to pay EUR 8 000. The licences, worth of a total of EUR 86 011, are to be paid to the state budget within 90 calendar days from the announcement of the results.

All licences are granted for the period 17 June 2015 to 17 June 2025. The winners of the regional multiplexes will be able to start the provision of commercial television broadcasting services after 17 June 2015. By 1 May 2017, they will have to launch into operation at least one transmitter in each assignment area. A total of two national, 40 regional and 19 local multiplexes were auctioned through this competitive selection procedure.

Following the auction for awarding national digital multiplexes, completed on 10 June 2014, three national multiplexes were awarded to the National Broadcasting Company S.A. The company won the multiplex under the free-to-air broadcasting obligation and two other multiplexes in the UHF band for EUR 1 020 002, representing the licence fee.

The terrestrial analogue television stations will no longer have the right to use the frequency band they are currently using as of 17 June 2015 and they are to be replaced by digital television transmissions. By Government Decision no. 403/2013 for the approval of the Strategy regarding the digital switchover and the implementation of multimedia services on a national level, the Romanian Government has committed to complete the analogue switch off by 17 June 2015. Romania was allocated a total of five multiplexes, four in UHF and one in VHF, in DVB-T2 standard. The first multiplex in UHF (MUX 1) will be used to broadcast free-to-air, under transparent, competitive and non-discriminatory conditions, the public and private television stations that are currently broadcast in analogue terrestrial system, according to the Audiovisual Act no. 504/2002, with its further modifications and completions.