Russia will hold a tender for its second DTT multiplex by the end of the year.
According to AKTR and Vedomosti, the move has been ordered by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and confirmed by his press secretary Natalya Timakova.
The tender, which was originally due to be held last year, will see the second multiplex deployed by 2015.
It will carry a total of 10 channels, with each costing up to $30 million (€24.2 million) a year to distribute.
Although most leading broadcasters are expected to participate in the tender, it is unofficially believed that the latter figure is unreasonably high and it will be difficult to monetise channels on the second multiplex.
Russia’s digitisation process, which is being overseen by RTRS, envisages that every household will be able to receive two-dozen DTT channels by 2015.