Additional two years for digitization

Belgrade -- Digitization is the process that could bring Serbia app. 100 million EUR, but also cause problems if not done in line with the experts' advice. The transition from analogue to digital signals, which has already been delayed and is now scheduled for the spring, could cause havoc with consequences which no one can foresee. Additional two years for digitization Along with the damage to the state and broadcasters, people who generally do not have TVs that can receive digital signals would be faced with problems and new costs. Will the government reach the decision to grant the former TV Avala frequency authorization to a new television or could the frequency be used for digitization? Minister Rasim Ljajic, who is in charge of telecommunications, apart from other issues, said the choice was not difficult. He pointed out that we had to be pragmatic. "The bottom line is that if we take the issue as "lege artis", then the RBA, upon the proposal made by the Ministry of Culture, should announce competition for the available frequencies. However, if we look at benefits, if we look at what it entails, and to which extent sales and collection of the digital dividend could increase the government revenues, it is undoubtedly true that all leads to the conclusion that it is better not to do the distribution of the frequencies, but to use the free frequency for the digitization process", Ljajic said. And while the Minister reiterates that he does not want to affect RBA, he reminds of the fact that the Ministry he is in charge repeated so many times that using the TV Avala frequency would be more beneficial to the state than to new broadcasters. The Minister also said that in the past year a lot of issues which caused the digitization process to be late were tackled and made up for. The plan of use has been endorsed, as well as the distribution plan, and coverage plan. And the plan is that by the end of August the Plan of transition from analogue to digital broadcasting will have been completed, and the government will adopt it at their first session. They started construction works on the buildings and TV signal repeaters having been destroyed during the NATO bombing. What is important is that in the process of digitization there will be no problems with providing money. The state has got a great offer from a U.S. company that would bring the process, under favourable conditions, to completion. "This is a good moment to start and complete the digital changes. If this process fails to be completed now, the citizens and the public will have no benefit from it. There would be no new channels, better sound and higher picture quality. Digital dividend from the sale of the analogue spectrum cannot be realized if the digitization process does not begin. I think you are ready to start right now. That's why I encourage you to start doing the work as soon as possible, "says Andrew Taunen, EU expert for digitization. And, while for most of us, the laity, digitizing is not something we are exactly interested in, many agree that this attitude would be changed for sure when we realize that we, because of its delay, would have to spend more money. Most TVs in the market, and even the latest generation ones, do not contain DVD-T2 tuners that allow them to receive the digital signal. This means that we would have to pay 40 or even up to 70EUR for the set-top option that will allow us to receive the signal. One of the problems which could also arise because we have not been doing everything gradually, but in a day, is that half of Serbia could remain in one day without TV image ... By using pragmatic approach and determining the frequency for the digitization it is estimated that by the end of the year from 70 to 80 percent of households will have been covered by the digital signal. Most importantly, the process would lead towards achieving a positive solution. "We do need to complete this process as best as we can by June 17th, 2015. Otherwise, Serbia will be an analogous stain in a digital environment with major problems that may arise with the broadcast signal in our territory," Ljajic said. And all of this would be new problems for the citizens and the state, because the process of digitizing and standardizing is among the key issues on the way towards European integrations. However, perhaps the most important question of all is whether the state can afford the luxury to give up at least 100 million EUR in case it fails to complete the digitization process. Foto: Ambro/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net B92

Additional two years for digitization

Along with the damage to the state and broadcasters, people who generally do not have TVs that can receive digital signals would be faced with problems and new costs.

Will the government reach the decision to grant the former TV Avala frequency authorization to a new television or could the frequency be used for digitization?

Minister Rasim Ljajic, who is in charge of telecommunications, apart from other issues, said the choice was not difficult. He pointed out that we had to be pragmatic.

"The bottom line is that if we take the issue as "lege artis", then the RBA, upon the proposal made by the Ministry of Culture, should announce competition for the available frequencies. However, if we look at benefits, if we look at what it entails, and to which extent sales and collection of the digital dividend could increase the government revenues, it is undoubtedly true that all leads to the conclusion that it is better not to do the distribution of the frequencies, but to use the free frequency for the digitization process", Ljajic said.

And while the Minister reiterates that he does not want to affect RBA, he reminds of the fact that the Ministry he is in charge repeated so many times that using the TV Avala frequency would be more beneficial to the state than to new broadcasters. The Minister also said that in the past year a lot of issues which caused the digitization process to be late were tackled and made up for.

The plan of use has been endorsed, as well as the distribution plan, and coverage plan. And the plan is that by the end of August the Plan of transition from analogue to digital broadcasting will have been completed, and the government will adopt it at their first session. They started construction works on the buildings and TV signal repeaters having been destroyed during the NATO bombing.

What is important is that in the process of digitization there will be no problems with providing money. The state has got a great offer from a U.S. company that would bring the process, under favourable conditions, to completion.

"This is a good moment to start and complete the digital changes. If this process fails to be completed now, the citizens and the public will have no benefit from it. There would be no new channels, better sound and higher picture quality. Digital dividend from the sale of the analogue spectrum cannot be realized if the digitization process does not begin. I think you are ready to start right now. That's why I encourage you to start doing the work as soon as possible, "says Andrew Taunen, EU expert for digitization.

And, while for most of us, the laity, digitizing is not something we are exactly interested in, many agree that this attitude would be changed for sure when we realize that we, because of its delay, would have to spend more money.

Most TVs in the market, and even the latest generation ones, do not contain DVD-T2 tuners that allow them to receive the digital signal. This means that we would have to pay 40 or even up to 70EUR for the set-top option that will allow us to receive the signal. One of the problems which could also arise because we have not been doing everything gradually, but in a day, is that half of Serbia could remain in one day without TV image ...
By using pragmatic approach and determining the frequency for the digitization it is estimated that by the end of the year from 70 to 80 percent of households will have been covered by the digital signal. Most importantly, the process would lead towards achieving a positive solution.

"We do need to complete this process as best as we can by June 17th, 2015. Otherwise, Serbia will be an analogous stain in a digital environment with major problems that may arise with the broadcast signal in our territory," Ljajic said.

And all of this would be new problems for the citizens and the state, because the process of digitizing and standardizing is among the key issues on the way towards European integrations. However, perhaps the most important question of all is whether the state can afford the luxury to give up at least 100 million EUR in case it fails to complete the digitization process.