Romanian cable “in crisis”

ACC Convention – Bucharest. Romania’s cable industry currently finds itself in a crisis situation, according to Radu Petric, the president of the Romanian Cable Communications Association (ACC).

Speaking in the opening session of the ACC’s 14th Broadband Convention in Bucharest, he added that while faced with competition from DTH platforms, Romtelecom and alternative telcos, along with the depreciation of the lei, to which prices are fixed, against the euro and dollar, it is still trying to bring in such services as VOD, HD, PVR and high-speed internet access. To do so, it will be important to have stability for future investment.

Varujan Pambuccian, MP, IT&C Commission of the Chamber of Deputies at the Romanian parliament, meanwhile painted a bleak picture of the prospects for both Romania’s economy and its cable industry. In his view, broadband internet offers the industry’s “best chance of survival”.

Catalin Marinescu, president National Authority for Communications (ANCOM), discussed proposed infrastructure legislation that would, amongst other things, see all new buildings have the possibility to receive cable services.

Concerns were expressed in the opening session about how DTT will impact on the cable industry.

According to Radu Teodorel, a director of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) and head of the digitalisation department, up to 1.5 million households currently receiving analogue terrestrial TV will be provided with DTT set-top boxes.

Although these were initially going to be made available by the government, they will now be the responsibility of the company awarded the DTT licence.