Low coverage start for Portuguese DTT

DTT should be available to around 20% of the Portuguese population on the April 29 launch date, according to Gil Moreira, coordinator of the DTT project at Portugal Telecom.

The goal is to reach 80% of the population by the end of the year.

Commenting on the cost of the set-top boxes, Moreira said that the basic model would not be sold at €50 during the launch phase, but only after the market achieves a higher level of maturity.

Meanwhile, Airplus TV Portugal, set up to compete for a licence to manage Portugal’s pay-TV DTT multiplexes, will be dissolved as the licence in question has been awarded to Portugal Telecom.

According to the company president, Luís Nazaré, it has no other projects or goals in Portugal.

The move follows the decision of a Portuguese court not to suspend the process for the awarding of a licence to Portugal Telecom, based on a complaint submitted by Airplus TV Portugal.

Portugal Telecom will initially launch its free-to-air DTT multiplexes on April 29 in 8-12 parts of the country, while the start of the pay-TV multiplexes will take place later in the year.