DigiTAG Annual Public Seminar, Geneva. Although Ukraine launched a regular MPEG-4 DTT service in October 2008, the number of customers receiving it is no higher than 30-40,000.
The figure was given by Ivan Omelianiuk, the CEO and general director of Kvant Efir, who added that the service employs a single multiplex to offer 10 channels.
He also said there are three further multiplexes, employing MPEG-2 compression, currently operating in the capital, Kiev.
On the plus side, Ukraine is the only country in the CIS which, along with Russia, has an organisation in place overseeing the transition to digital broadcasting.
Most of the remaining countries only began taking “timid steps” in this direction in 2008/9.
Russia and the most other CIS countries are expected to complete the transition in 2015.