The transition to digital broadcasting in Serbia is likely to cost €50 million, according to Jasna Matic, the country’s Minister for Telecommunications and Information Society.
Quoted in Novosti, she added that a draft law on electronic communications, which the government is expected to adopt next month, envisages the full liberalisation of fixed telephony from January 1, 2012.
This will have an impact on cable TV, as new packages of services will include TV delivered over the internet.
The legislation will also change the current situation in which cable operators are not required to contractually specify the programmes they offer to subscribers.
Although Matic said the government had so far not discussed the possible privatisation of the incumbent telco Telekom Srbije, such a move “would not be a bad solution, but at this point is not necessary.”