Saturday, August 18, 2012

Austrian DAB delayed by viability, concentration concerns

The Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR) said the advent of digital radio in the country will be delayed. It said a needs assessment by the Austrian Communications Authority (KommAustria) in June showed plenty of interest by established broadcasters and potential newcomers, but there were problems with financial viability or with media concentration. 

Under KommAustria's policy, there must be at least twelve national stations before digital radio broadcasting starts. KommAustria's deputy chairman, Florian Philapitsch, said needs assessment respondents submitted plenty of noteworthy ideas for which there is not enough space in the analogue spectrum, and if the matter depended on numbers alone, there would easily have been enough for digital radio broadcasting to begin. 

He added that while the authorities are not taking the initiative to launch a tender, it is possible that one could be triggered by a request from the market, and that the problems are not insuperable. KommAustria will set out its roadmap for digital radio as part of its 2013 digitisation plan.

(Source : telecompaper.com)

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