The procedure for awarding five DTT multiplexes in Romania is to go into what the regulator ANCOM describes as “primary rounds”.
Speaking during the 18th edition of the Communications Day, Eduard Lovin, its regulation executive director, said: “Having analysed the initial bids submitted by the two operators in the auction for the digital television multiplexes, we assessed that primary rounds are required, as the two bidders’ aggregated initial demand exceeds the number of available multiplexes. Thus, the auction rounds will start on 5 June 2014.”
The two bidders for the multiplexes are RCS&RDS and SNR (national Broadcasting Company) and primary rounds will be organised until the demand no longer exceeds supply.
ANCOM says that upon completion of the primary rounds, if no bidder has won some of the multiplexes it may decide to organise an additional primary round in which the bidders qualified in the tender stage may participate.
Furthermore, “the multiplexes in the UHF band – except for the multiplex under the free-to-air broadcasting obligation – will be allocated to the winners by means of an allocation round”.
There will in four UHF multiplexes, the first of which will be allocated to FTA services, and one VHF multiplex, employing the DVB-T2 standard.
ASO will take place in Romania on June 17, 2015.