DTT multiplex allocation expected in 2014
In a letter to the European Commission, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has stated that it will open a tender for the operation of a DTT multiplex in 2014.
The Ministry also stated that it will propose amendments to the current electronic communications legislation to allow companies with broadcast interests outside of Bulgaria to participate in the tender.
Previously, two licences to operate DTT multiplexes had been awarded to HannuPro and Towercom. However, these licence allocations have been questioned by the European Commission which opened an infringement procedure against Bulgaria.
Source: Broadband TV News and DigiTAG
Item added: 21st November 2011
Vivacom sale of NURTS stake confirmed
The sale, previously reported, of Vivacom’s remaining 50% stake in the national transmission company NURTS to Bluesat Partners Ltd has now been approved by the countries competition authorities and the sale is now complete.
NURTS is a key player in Bulgaria’s transition to digital broadcasting, which has been delayed and is now expected to be completed in 2015.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 26th September 2011
Vivacom sells remaining stake in NURTS
Bulgaria's largest telecom services provider, BTC, (trading as Vivacom), has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell the remaining 50% stake in its radio and television broadcasting unit NURTS to Bluesat Partners Ltd.
In August 2010, BTC completed the sale of 50% stake in NURTS to Cyprus-registered Mancelord Limited. The acquisition was performed through a specially-registered company, NURTS Bulgaria, which will now be controlled by Mancelord and the new investor. NURTS is a key player in local terrestrial digital and analogue signal distribution and has above 800 TV towers and relay stations located across the country.
Source: American Chamber of Commerce Bulgaria website
Item added: 24th July 2011
Towercom buys Thomson DTT transmitters
Towercom Bulgaria has selected Thomson Broadcast as a strategic supplier in the rollout of a DVB-T-based digital terrestrial television (DTTV) network across Bulgaria. Thomson will supply medium and higher power DVB-T transmitters with output powers in the 1-5 kW range. The order for 6 transmitters will increases the number of Thomson transmitters operating in the country to 24. Each transmitter site utilises an N+1 configuration such that one reserve transmitter can be automatically reconfigured to replace a failed transmitter.
Towercom Bulgaria was awarded a 15-year DVB-T licence and is building two multiplexes in SFN configured networks for nationwide operation.
Source: digitaltvnews.net
Item added: 22nd November 2010
Bulgaria completes tower company sale
The Bulgarian incumbent telco Vivacom (BTC) has completed the sale of a 50% stake in the national transmission company NURTS to the Cyprus-based financial investor Mancelord, according to Dnevnik.
NURTS and Mancelord are now key players in Bulgaria’s new DTT marketplace.
Earlier this summer, Mancelord received CRC’s approval to acquire the Bulgarian subsidiary of Slovakia’s Towercom, which will operate one of two Bulgaria’s two national commercial DTT multiplexes.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 31st August 2010
Hannu Pro awarded public DTT Mux licence
Latvian based company Hannu Pro has been awarded a licence to operate the public service DTT multiplex in Bulgaria.
Broadband TV News reports that according to Novinite, the licence is for a period of 15 years and covers 12 cities including the capital, Sofia.
Hannu Pro has previously been awarded licences to operate three national commercial multiplexes by the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC).
Slovakia’s Towercom also secured the right to operate two national commercial multiplexes at the same time.
Hannu Pro will use the infrastructure of the national transmission company NURTS rather than build its own network of DTT transmitters.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 26th July 2010
DTT tender attracts 7 bids
The Bulgarian Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) has received a total of seven bids for the operation of what will be the country’s public service DTT multiplex, reports Broadband TV News.
The bidders have not been named but are thought to include NURTS and possibly Austria’s ORS, the DTH platform Bulsatcom, Interactive Media Services, Adepto and Tesla Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s two national commercial DTT multiplexes will be operated by Slovakia’s Towercom and Hannu Pro, which is based in Latvia.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 18th April 2010
Sale seen as DTT boost
Bulgaria’s Vivacom has sold 50% of the national transmission company NURTS to the private investor Mancelord Limited, reports Broadband TV News.
The sale is seen as a boost for DTT as with Mancelord as an investor NURTS will be in a stronger position financially to develop the country’s digital TV infrastructure.
NURTS has over 800 transmitters throughout Bulgaria and has been developing an experimental DTT multiplex in the capital, Sofia, since 2006.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th April 2010
Hannu Pro chooses Conax
Hannu Pro Bulgaria, which has been awarded the tender for the second phase of the Bulgarian DTT project, has chosen the Conax Conditional Access system for use on its 3 commercial SFN multiplexes. The multiplexes are planned to cover 96% of the population by 2015.
As well as Pay-TV services from Hannu Pro, free to air services will also be available from Towercom.
Main source: Conax press release
Item added: 14th September 2009
Hannu Pro awarded DTT licence
Bulgaria recently opened two tenders for the rights to develop a total of five DVB-T networks. (multiplexes).
Hannu Pro Bulgaria won the second tender and with the resolution of CRC Bulgaria has been awarded a broadcast licence to run for the next 15 years and will develop three nationwide DVB-T networks.
Six bidders submitted bids but Hannu Pro received the highest score from the expert commission.
The three DVB-T networks will cover 95% of population over 12 allotments of Bulgaria by 2015, providing SD and HD channels
Hannu Pro Bulgaria is completely owned by Hannu Pro with member companies implementing numerous large scale TV and broadcast projects in Baltic States including solutions for nationwide DVB-T and IPTV.
Source: HANNU PRO Press release
Item added: 6th July 2009
Bids from 6 companies for DTT licence
The Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) has said that it received 6 bids for the licence to build and operate Bulgaria’s two nationwide DTT networks. The applicants were Techno Entertainment, incumbent telecom operator BTC, the Austrian broadcast network operator ORS, Towercom, the Slovak network operator, as well as the systems integrators Interactive Media Services and Hannu Pro Bulgaria.
A second licence tender for the operation of 3 DTT multiplexes is open until 27 May.
ASO for Bulgaria is set for December 2012.
Source: CRC website
Item added: 18th May 2009
Forthcoming DTT tender attracts growing interest
The expected tenders for two DTT multiplexes have already attracted a declared interest from 50 companies according to Novinite, reports Broadband TV News.
Each multiplex will be offered separately.
Earlier this year a previous deal for a DTT operator licence failed to receive the go ahead from the Communications Regulation Council (CRC), which said, it needed more time to reach a decision.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 13th April 2009
Over 500 channels available on DTT platforms in Europe
Recent data from the MAVISE TV database, developed for the DG Communication of the European Commission by the European Audiovisual Observatory, shows the continued expansion of television channels in the European (EU 27 + Croatia and Turkey) television market. More than 200 new TV channels were launched in 2008. There are now a total of 5587 channels (plus 412 non-European channels) available in the 29 countries.
Digital terrestrial television (DTT) has experienced significant developments in the last year.
Six of the 29 countries included in the MAVISE database have already ceased analogue terrestrial transmission.
France, Italy, Spain and the UK (four markets with large use of terrestrial television) have reached very high levels of DTT penetration in households and two of these have started regional switch-off of the analogue signals
The market will see more rapid development this year with the expected launch of new services in Slovenia, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Greece, and Slovakia. Full article at: EAO press release
Item added: 7th April 2009
Tenders for two multiplexes soon
According to Dnevnik, the country’s Communications Regulation Council (CRC) has unveiled plans for two DTT tenders which will run simultaneously, reports Broadband TV News.
The first licence will be for the right to operate a multiplex in six cities including Sofia, extending to 95% of the population by 2012.
The second licence will be to cover seven cities, again including Sofia, to launch before July 2011 after which the coverage must be extended to 95% of the population by 2015.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 23rd March 2009
ORS hits problem
The previously announced sale of the Bulgarian broadcast network operator NURTS to Austrian broadcast network operator ORS has been postponed. This follows an announcement by the regulatory authority CRC that it needed four months before it could approve the deal. ORS had planned to upgrade the existing transmitter network to digital in time for the analogue switch off date of 2012.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 16th March 2009
ORS buys Bulgarian transmitter network
ORS the technical service provider subsidiary for Austria’s public broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) is buying the terrestrial radio and TV transmitter network of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company.The network has more than 80 transmitters which provide nearly complete coverage of Bulgaria.
ORS plans to upgrade the analogue network for digital transmission.
The currently announced completion date for switch over of the Bulgarian analogue transmission network to digital is 2012.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 9th December 2008
DVB-T standard has parliamentary approval
Bulgaria has taken an important step in its transition to Digital Terrestrial Television now that parliamentary approval for the DVB-T standard has been given. The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) will now prepare for the award of three digital licences in each of six cities including the capital Sofia, later this year.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 5th February 2008.
Bulgaria prepares for digital TV
Bulgaria could start awarding digital licences in June or July this year according to Broadband TV News.
Speaking to the local press, Veselin Bozhkov, the head of the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC), said that government would be making a decision on a digitalisation plan within a month, after which seven cities, including Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna and the capital, Sofia, could each be awarded three licences on a competitive basis. Analogue switch off in Bulgaria is expected to take place in 2012.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 22nd January 2008
The information made available on these pages comes from many sources and whilst the DVB Project believes it to be correct we cannot guarantee its accuracy. If you have more up to date information or corrections please e-mail them to dvb@dvb.org
Last page update: 21st November 2011, Barry Tew
