The Romanian regulator ANCOM has submitted draft rules for the granting of DTT licences for public consultation.
In a statement, it suggests that the allocation of licences for five multiplexes should be made through a competitive selection process.
Four of the multiplexes will be UHF and VHF and the fifth will employ the DVB-T2 standard.
The winner of the licence to operate the first multiplex (MUX1) will be required to distribute FTA channels that currently broadcast in analogue. MUX1 will also be required to cover 90% of the population and 80% of Romanian territory by December 31, 2016.
The four other multiplexes – MUX2, MUX3, MUX4 and MUX5 – will each have to use at least 36 transmitters for the areas they cover by May 1, 2107. All multiplex licences will be awarded for a period of 10 years, effective from June 17, 2015.
The competitive selection will require each bidder to submit an initial offer by indicating the number of multiplexes it wants to secure. There will be more rounds in the auction if demand exceeds supply.
The starting price for the multiplexes will be determined by the government at the proposal of ANCOM.
Candidates will be required to meet certain criteria. They include being a Romanian or foreign company and have an average turnover in the last three years or the period of its existence, if less than three years, of at least €2 million.
They will also not be allowed to be linked to any other candidate.