Naxoo’s DVB-T plan for border blaster

Geneva-based cablenet Naxoo is to join a growing number of operators to modulate a package of channels through DVB-T.

The 151,041-subscriber network is considering the launch of the package over its cable system next year in a bid to limit losses to its 43,700 digital customers when transmitters in Salève and Gex on the French side of Lake Geneva go live. A final decision will be made early in 2010. Switzerland’s DTT line-up consists of just four channels, but the French system would add another 20 channels, which would be receivable across the city.

“As marketing director I was initially dead against it,” Naxoo’s Benjamin Weill told Broadband TV News. “But we see the market is growing with more operators and to me DVB-T on cable is logical. Every customer pays for the cable access and it’s not real free because they have to pay about €13 for the connection. We have 40 channels now free on analogue and the same numbers would be available in digital for free. It helps us explain the digital offer and switchover”.

Some of the latest TV displays have an in-built DVB-C tuner, but there is a far greater number of DVB-T receivers already in the market. A similar system has been running on City Cable the Swiss city of Lausanne for the past three years.

France’s Numericable and Dutch cabler CAIW also run DVB-T modulated packages.