Most DTT boxes in Portugal priced below €30
Portugal's telecommunications regulator Anacom has published data which shows that 62.1% of DTT decoders on the market are priced at less than €30, while 32.7% cost between €30 and €50. In the third quarter of 2011, the average price of DTT boxes dropped 18% compared with Q2 to around €37. DTT decoder sales were up 2% in the period from the 30th June to the 30th September.
The analogue signal is due to be switched off on the 12th January 2011 in the coastal areas of Portugal followed by the autonomous regions on the 22nd March and the remaining territories on the 26th April.
Source: Telecompaper
Item added: 12th December 2011
Vodafone wins 800MHz spectrum for 4G/LTE
Vodafone Portugal has won a total of 123 MHz (2x49 MHz FDD 25 MHz TDD) spectrum in the 800 MHz (digital dividend), 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz frequency bands. The operator will pay a total €146 million for the spectrum. Vodafone plans to use this spectrum to provide mobile communications services based on 4G/LTE technology. The spectrum in the 900MHz band will further improve the coverage and quality of service, using 3G/HSPA technology, especially inside buildings, the company said. The LTE mobile telephony auction was launched on the 28th November 2011.
Source: Telecompaper
Item added: 5th December 2011
Digital switchover progress in Portugal
The digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform launched on the 29th April 2009 currently offers viewers access to free-to-air television programme services from one multiplex. Analogue switch-off is set to begin on the 12th January 2012 and to be finalized on the 26th April 2012.
In its latest October Webletter DigiTAG provides a comprehensive review of DTT progress in Portugal which can be accessed by clicking on the following link DigiTAG Web letter October 2011
Item added: 14th November 2011
ASO may be postponed 6 months
The Portuguese Government has a arranged a meeting on the 8th September with the stakeholders involved in the implementation of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).
Those taking part in the meeting are expected to be three national broadcasters (RTP, SIC and TVI), the telecommunications sector regulator (Anacom) and the company responsible for the implementation of DTT (Portugal Telecom.
An entire review of the ASO progress will take place and a decision made on the official analogue switch-off date.
According to original plans, the analogue TV signal in Portugal will be shut down in three phases: on the 12th January 2012 the transmitters covering the coastal strip will be switched off, on the 2nd March it will be the turn of those in the Azores and Madeira, followed by the rest of the country on the 26th April.
If postponed the new ASO is likely to be in January 2012
Source: Advanced Television and Rapid TV News
Item added: 14th August 2011
More DTT ASO pilots underway
Following the previous ASO pilots in the Alenquer and the Cacém regions the process is now continuing in the region of Nazare, where ANACOM has launched DTT transmissions primarily addressed to the private institution of social solidarity. The signals are also transmitted to local shops and consumer electronic retailers, according to 'Tele Stelite'. Feedback from the public will be used to assess the success of the pilot.
Nazare together with some shops belonging to the town of Alcobaça is the third region where ASO is taking place. ASO will actually start in the area on the 31st October.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 20th June 2011
ANACOM reaffirms Free to Air channels
ANACOM has reaffirmed that the DTT services RTP 1, RTP 2, SIC, TVI and RTP Azores and RTP Madeira in the autonomous Regions will continue to be made available for free to viewers.
In addition ANACOM has issued a decree against misleading Analogue Switch Off (ASO) information. In general the decree says that ANACOM considers that it is an unfair commercial practice as per Decree-Law No. 57/2008 of 26 March to inform viewers that they will need to subscribe to a pay television service in order to continue accessing services available on the analogue terrestrial television platform once ASO is completed.
The decree results from reports of situations of doorstep selling and telephone conversations in which it is said that only possible solution to continue watching television after ASO is to subscribe to a Pay-TV service.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 31st May 2011
ASO begins
The initial Portuguese ASO took place in the Alenquer region on the 12th May and was the first in a pilot process closely watched by the regulator ANACOM.
ANACOM has been monitoring to ensure that viewers have access to the correct information about the switch-off as well as to the appropriate DTT receivers in shops. It has found that some viewers may have been mislead by pay-TV ads into believing that they must subscribe to a pay television service offering to continue watching television after ASO. This is totally incorrect as the main services are still available free to view on DTT.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 16th May 2011
ANACOM provides needy with DTT subsidy
The Portuguese national public association for the audiovisual and the telecommunication sectors of Portugal, ANACOM, has allocated more than €10 million for DTT services to reach across the whole country. The money will be used to provide financial assistance for the neediest people living in faraway areas who have difficulties in receiving digital television signals.
STB’s for DVB-T DTT reception are expected to cost around €22.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 4th April 2011
Government to provide limited DTT subsidies
The Portuguese government has provided assurances that it will subsidize groups with limited financial resources, citizens with special needs and social institutions in order to ensure that everyone has access to digital terrestrial television (DTT). The announcement was made by the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, Antonio Mendonca, during the presentation of the first public awareness campaign about the Portuguese analogue switch-off and final transition to digital terrestrial in April 2012.
He declined to provide details about the subsidies. Previously, the government had said that people with a disability level of at least 60%, those with social security help or pensions less than €500 would be entitled to reimbursement of about 50% of the cost of decoders.
Source: Telecompaper
Item added: 14th March 2011
Analogue switch off pilots announced
Anacom the Portuguese communications regulator has announced that ASO will be tested with pilot switch offs initially.
The pilot switch offs will take place in Alenquer on the 12th May, then at Cacém on the 16th June, followed by Nazaré on the 13th October.
The suitability for pilot switch offs in these areas was decided on the following criteria; technically easy to implement; that the topography was such as to preclude the reception of analogue TV signals from any other transmitter; that the population in the area covered did not exceed 150,000 residents and finally that DTT signals have been available for one year by the date of ASO in each area.
Final ASO in Portugal will take place in three phases. In the first phase on the 12th January ASO will take place at transmission sites along the coastal part of the mainland. During the second phase switch off will take place in the Azores and Madeira on 22nd March 2012. The third and final phase will result in all remaining transmission sites being switched off by the 26th April 2012.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 7th January 2011
Portuguese invest in HDTV
Commercial broadcaster SIC has announced that it will invest up to €12 million in preparing for HD broadcasting.
SIC’s Director General Luis Marques, expects that the majority of the content and transmission infrastructure will already be in HD by the year’s end, while at the time of the ASO on the 26th April 2012 it will be able to launch a complete offering in HD.
Rival TVI also plans to invest in HDTV and estimates a cost of €3-5 million to have the entire broadcasting line equipped for HD by end of 2010. The idea is said to be to tailor the investment to the level of DTT penetration in the country. The public broadcaster RTP is also making significant investments in HD programming as well as in cameras and in broadcasting equipment although the amount is not mentioned.
DTT broadcasting was launched in Portugal on January 12th 2009 and the four national TV channels (RTP 1, RTP 2, SIC and TVI) can currently be received by some 85 per cent of the population.
Source: Advanced Television
Item added: 25th October 2010
DTT Set Top Box study
Portuguese communications regulator Anacom is backing the consumer protection body DECO to carry out comparative tests on digital-terrestrial TV STB’s.
The comparative study will start in November and carry on for 18 months. During this time
DECO will provide information to consumers about the price, quality and functionality of STB’s available on the market and publish it on the websites deco.proteste.pt and anacom.pt.
The DTT network currently covers about 86% of the country’s population and ASO is planned for the 26th April 2012
Source: Digital TV Europe.net
Item added: 18th October 2010
ASO plan approved by Anacom
The Portuguese regulator Anacom has approved the ASO plan with only minor changes.
The plan is in three phase and will start on the 12th January 2012 with the switch off of transmitters and relays on and around the coast of the mainland.
In the second phase, which begins on the 22nd March 2012, transmitters and relays in the Azores and Madeira will be shut down.
Finally in the third phase which starts on the 26th April 2012 all the remaining mainland analogue transmitters will be switched off.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th July 2010
HD on DTT hits obstacle
Portugal Telecom (PT) failed to launch a Pay DTT services on 5 multiplexes in Portugal and following the revocation of its licence negotiated a change to its licence conditions with ANACOM which would allow it to launch a free to air HD services. However this has now been challenged by the Regulatory Authority for Social Communication (ERC).
The problem seems to be centred on PT’s entitlement to compensation following the revocation of its pay-TV licence. Anacom had agreed to return PT’s deposit of €2.5 million following the renegotiation. The ERC refused to accept the request and although the decision is not binding a consultation phase must now take place.
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Jorge Lacão, said that “all possibilities are open” as to the future use of the capacity.
Portugal Telecom said it intended to launch a petition to clarify the situation.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 28th June 2010
Consultation on ASO plan
The Portuguese communications regulator Anacom has opened a consultation on its proposed plan for analogue switch-off (ASO). The consultation is open for comment until the 18th May 2010.
In the proposal ASO will take place in three phases, each seven days long.
The first phase would begin on the 7th January 2012 with the switch-off of analogue services in the mainland coastal zone.
The second phase which starts on the 22nd March 2012 will see ASO in Madeira and the Azores.
The third and final phase would start on the 26th April 2012 and see ASO in the rest of the mainland.
The plan also proposes that several analogue switch-off pilots take place in first half of 2011 in order to prepare for switch-off and raise viewer awareness.
The final switch off date of the 26th April 2012 is contingent on the DTT coverage of the Free to air multiplex reaching full population coverage by the end of 2010.
Currently, DTT services are available to 80% of the population.
Source: Anacom
Item added: 30th April 2010
Anacom drafts repeal of PT commercial licence
The Portuguese communications regulator Anacom has prepared a draft resolution to withdraw Portugal Telecom's (PT) commercial DTT license.
The previously entered into agreement required PT to launch pay-DTT services on 5 national multiplexes by the end of January 2010. PT failed to do so and instead negotiated to change to its license conditions to allow for the launch of free-to-air HD services.
The draft resolution is open for comment for 20days, a period which ends on the 1st March. During this time interested parties can make representations on the decision for discussion before the draft document becomes official.
PT already operates the countries free to air DTT platform.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 8th February 2010
HD on DTT platform
Portugal Telecom (PT) is negotiating with the regulator Anacom to replace its proposed pay-TV multiplex with a bouquet of high definition channels. It argues that since the original application was made market conditions have changed.
PT were awarded a licence to operate the free to view platform in April and they also hold a licence to operate a pay-TV platform across five multiplexes.
The plan is for national broadcasters RTP, SIC and TVI to broadcast HD versions of their existing channels free-to-air in the HD format. However, Portugal Telecom is to push ahead with its own national digital TV channel, which under the plan would also have an HD simulcast.
The DTT platform already uses MPEG-4 as the compression standard.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 25th January 2010
DTT receiver sales increase
More than 247,000 digital TV sets were sold in Portugal between January and November 2009 according to recent figures from research organisation Gfk.
The report from Rapid TV goes on to say that sales have been aided by a drop in the price of DTT equipment from Euro 1,490 at the start of 2009 to an average of Euro 640 by the end.
The free-to-air DTT platform was launched in April 2009 and offers viewers 4 television programme services. One free-to-air HD service is also expected launch later this year.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 11th January 2010
Nine Cable operators adopt DVB-C2
Nine of Western Europe’s leading cable operators have chosen to adopt the new DVB-C2 cable delivery standard.
The operators are Kabel Baden Württemberg, Unitymedia, Kabel Deutschland (Germany), Ziggo (the Netherlands), ONO (Spain), Com Hem (Sweden), Numericable (France), YouSee (Denmark) and ZON (Portugal), who in total serve 22 million households.
Virgin Media (UK), Canal Digital (Scandinavia) and UPC (Multiple territories) have not included themselves in the agreement and say that they have no plans to switch from DVB-C2 at present. Virgin Media have been reported as saying that unlike some operators they do not have a capacity problem at the moment and whilst they support DVB-C2, have no need to switch at present
Main source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 18th September 2009
DTT covers 60% of the population
According to a report in Diário de Notícias, Portugal Telecom says that DTT services are already available to 60% (6 million) of the population, a figure which has been achieved ahead of time.
PT aims to reach 80% of the population by the end of this year and to achieve national coverage in 2010.
By doing so, it will bring the ASO date set by the government forward by 16 months
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 14th September 2009
Consultation favours HD on DTT platform
High Definition TV services should start soon after ASO according to the responses to Portugal’s recent digital dividend consultation.
Reporting these findings the Broadband TV News website goes on to say that there was disagreement between respondents with some wanting any freed spectrum to be given to broadband operators and others wanting it used for HDTV.
The regulator Anacom also agrees with the consultations findings that some spectrum should be assigned for mobile TV as soon as possible, however Broadcasters came out against the use of the 790-862 MHz band for this purpose. Meanwhile the EU is working towards harmonising the services assigned in this frequency band across the whole of Europe and the usage is likely to be for low and medium power wireless services such as broadband rather than for HD DTT services.
Main source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 17th August 2009
Digital TV service officially launched
Portugal officially launched its Digital Terrestrial TV service on the 29th April 2009 in 29 municipalities, more than originally planned. The service covers 40% of the population and will increase to 80% by the end of the year.
Analogue switch off is planned for 2010 by which time full coverage should have been achieved.
Digital viewers can now access the four main TV services already available on the analogue platform, RTP, RTP2, SIC and TVI. In addition RTP’s regional services for the Azores and Madeira are also available. An HD channel is also expected to be made available on the platform in the future.
The DTT service is run by Portugal Telecom, which also plans to launch its Pay DTT platform on five multiplexes later in the year.
Source: PT website
Item added: 8th May 2009
DTT logo launched
Portugal Telecom (PT) has launched a logo to help consumers identify receivers suitable to receive transmissions from the Portuguese DTT platforms.
The logo, which is regulated by PT Innovation, identifies that receivers are suitable to receive DVB-T signals coded using MPEG-4, H.264. AVC compression and suitable for the market.
Free to air DTT services are planned to start on the 29th April initially on a single multiplex receivable by 20% of the population. Coverage will increase to 80% by the end of the year with five more multiplexes also being launched later in the year.
Source: Portugal Telecom website
Item added: 27th April 2009
DTT coverage 20% at start
At launch on the 29th April, Portugal’s DTT signals will cover 20% of the population according to Gil Moreira, coordinator of the countries TDT project, reports Rapid TV News. Coverage is expected to increase to 80% of the population by the end of the year.
It is expected that the lowest cost box able to access the new DTT signals will be on offer for around 50 euros during the launch phase.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 13th April 2009
Government confirms ASO date
According to a recent Cabinet resolution, Analogue Switch Off in Portugal will be completed by the 26th April 2012.
There will also be a 1-year simulcast period but it was unclear if this would be before or after the announced ASO date.
The DTT operator Portugal Telecom has already announced that it will start to offer services by the end of April this year. Initially transmissions will be for test purposes only but coverage will gradually be increased and will reach 80% of the population by the end of the year.
Source: Publico
Item added: 9th March 2009
DTT services to launch in April
Portugal Telecom (PT) has announced plans for a national DTT pilot in 8 to 12 locations throughout the country including Madeira and the Azores, starting on the 29th April.
By the end of 2009 services should reach 80% of the population with full coverage by 2010.
PT holds the licence to operate one free-to-air DTT multiplex which will provide the services of RTP1, RTP, SIC and TVI as well as a new broadcaster.
In addition, PT will also operate five additional DTT multiplexes
Digital switchover is set for completion on the 1st January 2011.
Main source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 19th January 2009
DTT multiplex licence awarded
Portugal telecom has officially received its licence to operate one free to air multiplex and is expected to launch a service in 2009.
The multiplex will provide five television programme services and include the existing analogue terrestrial platform programmes (RTP 1, RTP 2, SIC, TVI) and one new television service.
An article on Advanced Television.com says that it is also expected that one of the services will be offered in HD but no details have been given as to how this is to be achieved within the single multiplex.
Portugal Telecom has also been allocated the license to operate five commercial multiplexes. Its commercial offer has not yet been announced.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th December 2008
Some DVB-T coders offered not suitable
According to some press reports Anacom has warned that a many of the DVB-T coders now on sale will not be suitable to receive the countries future services.
Set Top Boxes (STB) or TV receivers must be capable of decoding MPEG-4, H.264 AVC coded transmissions and also be suitable to display HD signals in at least 720p format.
These are the likely formats to be broadcast on the countries Multiplex A and in fact detailed in the information published by Anacom in February 2008.
The information can be accessed by clicking on the following link
Technical requirements for multiplex
An article on Rapid TV News says that Anacom has stated that it is compulsory for receiving equipments to at least include provision to decode a minimum vertical resolution of 720p and that these TV’s should have the standardized ”HD ready” logo.
In the case of STB’s Anacom advises that an HDMI connection should also be available and that it should be version 1.3 and that the box should of course decode the transmitted HDTV format.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 9th December 2008
Programme slots offered for tender
The Portuguese government is inviting candidates to tender for slots on the country’s free-to-air DTT platform.
Applications must be submitted to the Media Regulator by the 21st January 2009. Licences will be assigned in April 2009 and will be valid for a 15-year period on condition that services begin by April 2010.
Licences can be renewed.
Candidates will be judged on quality of the programming, diversity of the programme offer and the amount of European and Portuguese content.
Companies expressing an interest in the tender include Zon Multimedia, Cofina and Controlinveste
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 11th November 2008
Portugal Telecom confirmed as DTT licence winner
Despite an appeal by the Swedish owned bidder Airplus TV over the decision to award of the DTT platform licence to Portugal Telecom, the original decision has now been re-affirmed.
An Airplus TV executive said that they are still willing to continue with the judicial process for what it calls a ‘fair evaluation of the pay DTT licences’.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 30th September 2008
Airplus challenges Pay-DTT award decision
As predicted previously Airplus TV have confirmed that they are to appeal over the preliminary decision by Anacom to award the Pay-DTT licence to Portugal Telecom.
According to an item on the advanced-television.com website Airplus TV claims that the commission did not have the necessary expertise to evaluate the candidates.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 21st July 2008
Portugal Telecom to manage FTA platform
Portugal Telecom has been given the go ahead to launch a free-to-air TV service on the countries multiplex A.
PT now has 10 working days to accept or reject the decision.
Only last week the commission also announced their preference for Portugal Telecom to have the pay-TV licences for multiplexes B-F, rather than Sweden’s Airplus TV.
Airplus are expected to challenge the decision.
The pay-TV multiplexes will carry up to 52 channels, with different packages, starting with an 18-channel basic. Portugal Telecom plans to launch its DTT offer in 2009.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 8th July 2008
Portugal Telecom ranked first on its DTT tender
Portugal Telecom has been told that it has won the tender to operate the country’s DTT service, according to a report from web-based Broadband TV News.
PT had bid for the right to run the public multiplex, which will carry four free-to-air channels and a subscription TV service.
Swedish rival Airplus had only been interested in the subscription service leaving PT as the sole bidder for the public multiplex.
The preliminary decision is due to be confirmed in the next few weeks following a hearing involving interested parties.
The first transmissions are expected to take place next year and will reach 87% of the population by 2012. The licence itself will be valid for 15 years
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 1st July 2008
DTT plans announced by AirPlus TV
AirPlus TV one of the two bidders for DTT licences in Portugal has described its intentions in more detail.
The group is planning to reach a target of 450,000 Pay-TV subscribers before the 2012 analogue switch-off deadline.
Two packages will be offered, Basic and Premium. The Basic package will comprise of 10-12 national and foreign TV channels and will cost €11.50/month.
The Premium package will offer 4-6 TV channels, two of which will be HD, at €12/month.
Airplus TV expects to reach an agreement with the Portugal Telecom, the only other bidder, by July with regard to accessing the TV signal distribution network.
Telecom regulator Anacom will announce the winning bidder in July.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 2nd June 2008
Portugal Telecom releases plans for DTT
Portugal Telecom has revealed its plans for DTT, which will be actioned if its recent bid is successful.
PT’s proposal is for a service called Meo TD, based on Meo via IPTV and Meo Sat to start this year.
PT would aim for analogue switch off at the end of 2010 and also plans to cover 100% of Portugal with a Free-to-view signal, 87% by DTT and the remaining 13% by satellite.
Its Pay-TV service should be available in 87% of the country.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 29th April 2008
Two bids for DTT services
The communications regulator Anacom reports on its website that two bids were received for DTT licences before the deadline.
The first bidder was Portugal Telecom (PTC), which bid to operate the Free-To-Air DTT multiplex, as well as separate commercial DTT services on, multiplexes B-F.
The second proposal was from Swedish company AirPlus TV which also bid to operate the commercial services. For the AirPlus bid to be considered extra pledges have been requested by the 30th April.
AirPlus TV is a pay-DTT service provider. It launched Plus TV in Finland in March 2006 and owns Dahlia Television in Spain.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 28th April 2008
Portugal to launch tender for 5th TV channel
Minister for Parliamentary Issues, Augusto Santos Silva, has announced that the bids for the two DTT tenders can be submitted up until April 23 according to advanced-television.com. The bids will be published a day later, with the DTT licences being issued by October.
The tender for Portugal’s fifth national Free-To-Air TV channel will be launched in October or 180 days after the submission of the bids on the Digital Terrestrial Television tender according to the published rules.
The new national FTA channel will be available on DTT and cable.
Santos Silva is reported as saying that the operator of the new channel will be selected "by the end of winter or the beginning of spring 2009". The remaining frequency spectrum will be used for the launch of an HDTV channel, airing a selection of programs for existing national TV channels RTP 1 and 2, SIC, TVI and the fifth channel.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 1st April 2008
DTT Platform re-launch in Portugal
The DTT process has been re-launched in Portugal according to the latest Web Letter from Digitag, which gives a comprehensive update on the current situation in Portugal.
It goes on to say that the communications regulator ANACOM and the Government have respectively invited candidates to tender for a FTA and a Pay TV DTT operation license by 23 April. The process is expected to be concluded during the summer, which will allow for the launch of DTT services by the beginning of 2009. Viewers will be able to access new services, including more standard-definition services, HDTV and interactive services.
MUX A: The first tender will grant the right to operate one DTT multiplex, MUX A, which will provide viewers access to free-to-air television services. This multiplex will broadcast the four television programme services currently on the analogue terrestrial platform, the regional services for the Azores and Madeira, and a fifth television programme service, in SDTV, and with a national scope, yet to be licensed. Any additional capacity that is available might be used to transmit the SDTV services in HDTV format.
The operation should provide national DTT coverage of both the mainland and the autonomous regions. Population coverage of, at least, 99% is expected to be reached within three years, although it will be possible for the service provider to use other television delivery platforms, such as satellite, to ensure that the full coverage requirement is met. However, a minimum DTT coverage of 85% of the population is expected.
MUX B-F: The second tender, launched by the Government, but with the involvement of ANACOM and the media regulator ERC, will grant the right to operate five DTT multiplexes and provide pay-DTT services. Two of these multiplexes, MUX B and MUX C, will have a national coverage of at least 75% of the population, while the three remaining multiplexes, MUX D, MUX E and MUX F, will provide partial coverage of the population of the mainland.
The full article can be accessed by clicking on the following link : Digitag Web Letter
Item added: 24th March 2008
Portuguese DTT tender regulations published
The government has now published the regulations applicable to the public tender for DTT licences within Portugal according to Rapid TV News.
Applicants now have forty days to present their proposals for the first call for tenders.
Licences for five multiplexes will be on offer in the first call for tenders, two national and three regional. Both Freeview and Pay-TV licences will be issued.
The second call for tenders is expected to be in August.
In a separate news item from advanced-television.com Zon Multimedia, which had previously been excluded from tendering, can now participate in the process providing that it is does so as a minority stakeholder in a consortium.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 4th March 2008
Deadline for DTT applications set
April 23rd has been set as the date by which applications to participate in the country’s DTT system must be made, after which the two regulators in Portugal, ICP and Anacom will have 40 days to announce the result for free-to air applications and 60 days for pay TV proposals.
Broadband TV News reports that Portugal Telecom SGPS, Sonaecom SGPS, Promotora de Informaciones SA’s Media Capital SGPS unit and Vodafone Portugal are all understood to have asked for information on the tender.
Portugal Telecom’s Zon division is likely to be excluded from operating a multiplex due to regulatory concerns.
The government’s aim is to have digital switchover completed by 2012.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 26th February 2008
Tender for DTT licences expected in February
Rapid TV News reports that Portugal is expected to reveal its DTT auction plans in February according to Mário Lino, minister of Public Works and Telecommunications.
It is expected that two types of licence will be offered, one for Free-to-air TV channels and the other for Pay TV channels.
Portugal’s public broadcaster RTP has already been given rights to launch a pair of thematic channels by 2011. Analogue switch off is set to be completed by 2012.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 5th February 2008
Fifth free-to-air TV licence now official
Portugal will issue a new free-to-air television licence for the creation of a national channel to compete with the country’s four existing channels, Reuters reports, Minister of Parliament Affairs Augusto Santos Silva as saying.
The tender will take place in 180 days after a separate tender to operate the country’s digital television network has been issued. No issue date was given for the first tender but it is expected during 2008.The minister went on to say that Portugal hopes to switch entirely from analogue to digital transmission by 2012.
Source: Reuters
Item added: 7th January 2008
New channel on the DTT platform
TV Cabo and financial group Controlinveste are reported by Rapid TV News to wish to partner with each other in the creation of a fifth national free-to-air channel on the future DTV platform.
Government plans for the new platform are still being formulated and a decision on what channels will be made available has not yet been released.
Rapid TV also reports that entrepreneur Francisco Pinto Balsemâo, a former Portuguese prime minister, has said that he wants an association to be established among the Portuguese broadcasters SIC, RTP and TVI to work on the creation of a future HDTV channel.
Portugal Telecom Multimedia, the multimedia division of Portugal Telecom (PT) is also said to want to do business in this project.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 17th December 2007
Competition grows ahead of DTT tender
Advanced-television.com reports that Portugal Telecom is considering launching a satellite TV service in March 2008 ahead of the launch of the proposed DTT tender.
The DTH offer would compete with TV Cabo, which has more than 80% of the Portuguese Pay-TV market. The TV offer is reported as being one of the options discussed by the PT management, which recently separated from TV Cabo, together with the launch of DTT services. Any decisions will be heavily influenced by the result of the DTT tender in the first quarter of 2008. The new DTH service would complement Meo, PT’s triple play offering (TV, Internet and fixed telephony) whose user expansion is already being limited by the limited availability of a minimum 8 Mbps line speed throughout Portugal.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 20th November 2007
DVB-SH demonstration in Lisbon
Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone recently demonstrated DVB-SH technology
at the Parque das Nações in Lisbon, where the informal Summit of the EU Heads of State and government took place on October 18th and 19th 2007.
The demonstration enabled representatives of the Portuguese Government and of the broadcast, telecom and media sectors to watch Euronews, RTP Mobile, SIC and TVI, in the various languages on DVB-SH handsets supplied by Sagem Mobile.
This broadcast Mobile TV first in Portugal, based on the DVB-SH standard, constitutes a recognition of the role Portugal and the Portuguese Government are playing in order to stimulate mobile communications, in particular Mobile TV, in the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.
On August 22, 2007, the Commission adopted a proposal to select systems for mobile satellite services at European level. If adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council, this new selection mechanism will allow innovative service, such as Mobile TV based on DVB-SH in the S-Band, to develop smoothly throughout Europe as of 2009.
Source: WebWire
Item added: 7th November 2007
Vodafone expected to bid for DTT services
Broadband TV News reports that Vodafone is considering making a bid to operate the country’s DTT service. They are also said to be considering the launch of an IPTV service, in 2008, for which they already have in place much of the ADSL infrastructure needed.
The report goes on to say that a decision now needs to be made by Vodaphone about whether to continue with a bid on its own or team up with another partner. The Spanish telecommunications company Abertis Infraestructuras has already approached Portugal Telecom with a view to making a bid and PT Multimedia is another active contender.
The public consultation which has helped to re-start interest in the five proposed DTT multiplexes closed on October 15th.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 16th October 2007
DTT public consultation launched
On August 31st a public consultation on digital TV was launched by Anacom.
Five DTT multiplexes will be available, two of them providing national coverage.
Interested parties will be able to express their opinion on the rights and limitations to use frequencies and the procedures for awarding the licences.
The rules for the public tender which will award the right to use both regional and national frequencies are also up for discussion, as well as whether or not interactive and HDTV services should be offered.
The results of the consultation, which concludes on October 15th, will be analysed before the tenders are released.
This is expected by the end of the year, with licences issued during the first half of 2008.
Source: Anacom website
Item added: 3rd September 2007
Impresa proposes DTT consortium in Portugal
Impresa, the Portuguese Media group has proposed the creation of a consortium among public broadcaster RTP and private TV channels SIC and TVI, to compete for the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) licenses.
The proposal was put forward during a presentation of the company’s digital plans in Lisbon, where it was revealed that discussions have already taken place with Media Capital, the owner of TVI. The partnership could also be extended to RTP. The president of Impresa underlined that the company, via SIC, is interested in both free-to-air and pay-TV channels on DTT, stressing that priority must be given to HDTV.
The Portuguese Government will launch two separate DTT tenders, one for the management of the digital platform which will carry the FTA channels and another for pay-TV channels. The first tender, for the platform carrying RTP, SIC and TVI, will be organised by national telecom regulator Anacom, as the FTA channels already have a license. The second tender, for its part, foresees the awarding of a license for management of the DTT platform and another for the joint management of pay-TV channels.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th July 2007
DTT bidding process soon
Although the bidding process for DTT licences in Portugal has yet to begin some potential bidders are already being excluded. Parliamentary affairs minister Augusto Santos Silva has told local media that he will respect the decision of the country’s competition regulator, which has said that PT Multimedia will not be allowed to bid for a DTT licence if it continues to hold on to its cable network. Any company that already holds 50% of a platform will not be allowed to bid. Two DTT licence awards are expected, one for Pay TV and one for Free to View TV.
Source: Broadband TV News 6th July 2007
Item added: 10th July 2007
DVB-H trial completed
TV1 Portugal and Vodafone Portugal have successfully completed their DVB-H trial. Eight live channels were broadcast to a panel of users with Samsung phones.
The results will be released later, however some sources say that Portugal is better placed than other European countries to offer mobile services, with over 60% of voice calls made using mobile phones compared with the European average of 43%.
Main source: broadbandtvnews
Item added: 21st June 2007
DTT consultation during August
The introduction of DTT in Portugal will be put to public consultation during August according to the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Works, Transport and Communications, Paulo Campos.
Opinions have already been received from ERC (the body that regulates social communication) and AdC (the competition authority). Opinion from Anacom (the telecom regulator) is expected in the next few days. After the public consultation is completed a ruling will be made and tenders issued, allowing applications for licences to begin.
Mario Lino, Minister for Public Works and Communications made it clear, in recent speeches, that during Portugal’s presidency of the EU, in the second half of the year, DTT will be one of the priorities for the telecom sector. He went on to say that decisions must be made on the possible uses that the spectrum, freed up during the switchover process, can be used for.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 21st May 2007
DTT tenders split in two parts
The Portuguese Government has announced that tenders for DTT operations are tobe split into two.
One will be for the management of the free-to-air channelsand the other for Pay-TV channels.The first tender will be for a platform to carry thefour national free-to-air channels RTP 1 and 2, SIC and TVI. It will beorganised by the telecom regulator Anacom because the channels have alreadybeen licensed, according to a government spokesman.The second tender will be for the award of a license for the management of abroadcast platform as well as another for the joint management of Pay-TVchannels.
Main source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 1st May 2007
DTT licence tender expected at the end of 2007
The Portuguese Government has postponed the tender to award terrestrial TV(DTT) channels until the end of the year.
According to the Minister for Public Works, Transportand Communications, Mário Lino, the tender was delayed due to Sonaecom’sunsuccessful IPO.
Media groups Impresa and Media Capital are reported to have had talks with theaim of reaching a common position on DTT but are awaiting the Governmentannouncement on the DTT model for Portugal before making their joint positionpublic.
Source: advancedtelevision
Item added: 21st March 2007
DVB-H trial in the greater Lisbon area
Commercial broadcaster TVI, has teamed with Vodafone Portugal to launch a trial DVB-H service in the greater Lisbon area. Portugal’s private TV transmission network provider Media Capital’s RETI is providing the transmission services.
DVB-H licences still have to be awarded and this will take place after a tendering process.
Source: advanced-television
Item added: 5th December 2006
Anacom to issue two DTT licences
Portuguese telecom regulator Anacom has been approached by more than ten companies interested in launching Digital Terrestrial Television in the country according to the web site advanced-television.com. Portugal Telecom (PT), Sonaecom, AR Telecom, France’s TDF, Retevision, RTP, Impresa, Media Capital, Cofina and Controlinveste have all expressed interest in the introduction of DTT in Portugal.
The first DTT signals should be on the air in January 2008 and the rollout will continue on a progressive basis as existing analogue transmissions are replaced.
Mario Freitas, the head of DTT at Anacom, is reported to have said that Anacom will issue two DTT licenses, one for free-to-air channels such as RTP, 2, SIC and TV1 and the second for a pay-TV service.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 13th November 2006
Terrestrial Digital Television to start in early 2007
Portugal is planning to start Terrestrial Digital Television (TDT) in the first quarter of 2007 according to a short article in the Jornal de Negócios Online.
The O Ministério das Obras Públicas, Transportes e Comunicações (MOPTC) will also look at how it can extend the TDT service for mobile delivery using DVB-H during 2007 and especially the availability of free spectrum space.
Source: Negócios Online
Item added: 17th October 2006
New report on spectrum
The Government plans to provide incentives for the development of new communication services, including DTT according to a new report published by the communication regulator Anacom. The efficient use of spectrum is to be promoted and it will introduce market mechanisms to do so.
It is also reported that the Electronic Communications Law (5/2004) of 10 February 2004 will be fully implemented.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 6th September 2005
Portugal to relaunch DTT in 2006
According to advanced-television.com the Portuguese Government intend to call a public tender in the first half of 2006 to award DTT licences in an attempt to relaunch the market. Media Capital and Telco SGC Telecom and unspecified "others" have already expressed their interest.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 9th August 2005
Recent
Portuguese regulator approves DVB-T, DVB-H, MPEG-4 trials
The National Communication Authority in Portugal (Anacom) has authorised Siemens, SGC Telecom and Group Media Capital to carry out technical trials of digital terrestrial television using DVB-T according to Digital Media Europe.
The trial will test out reception of DVB-H on mobile terminals and will use MPEG-4 compression technology.
Source: Digital Media Europe
Item added: 15th July 2005
Previous
Jorge Borrego, the Portuguese Transport and Communication minister, announced that a new call for tenders will be organised on March 2005 to award new digital terrestrial television licences. "We won't do the same errors we made in the past" , explained the Minister speaking about licences awarded in March 2003 and never operated.
Source: DigiTag
Background
A licence was awarded to PTDP in October 2001 to provide four multiplexes with the proviso that they started by a specific date. This date was extended to the first half of 2003 and in the event the licence was revoked by order of the Minister for the Economy on March 25th 2003.
