The Dutch government sees a future in digital television and will therefore look to auction frequencies for commercial use, Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp said in a letter to the Lower House of Parliament. An auction could take place in 2019, the minister said, providing no further details.
The minister said modern technologies such as DVB-T2 will bring on new possibilities and that terrestrial television would be able, also after 2017, to ensure consumer choice and market competition. KPN’s Digitenne is the most important player on the terrestrial television market at the moment, with a total TV market share of around 6 percent, the minister said.
DVB-T2, the successor to DVB-T, makes it possible to broadcast in HD quality and provides space for more programmes, services and eventually, mobile reception, Kamp said. The technology makes more efficient use of spectrum than DVB-T, compensating for the loss of the 700 MHz band, which will be used from 2019 for mobile communication.
In order to make the use of DVB-T2 frequencies more techically possible and to ensure permanent use, arrangements will have to be made with neighbouring countries. Kamp said talks have begun on the matter. A number of neighbours, including Germany, have opted for a switch to DVB-T2. The minister said there was therefore no need to first extend the license for terrestrial TV, a move it had earlier considered.
Transition Period
After the new digital ether television licenses are extended, there will be a transition period during which new (commercial and public) license holders will start using their frequencies as old license holders surrender theirs. The distribution network will be made ready by license holders for DVB-T2. At the same time, neighbouring countries will also have to adjust their networks, resulting in the necessity for coordinated action. Many consumers will have to get new decoders.
During this period, 700 MHz frequencies will have some time to prepare for television deployment. How long this transition period will last will depend, the minister said, on measures taken by the market and by DVB-T2 license holders in neighbouring countries. The 700 MHz band will become available by 2020 at the latest for mobile communications and come under auction in 2019. No precise dates have yet been provided.
