Telekom Austria-backed Mtel has launched a DTH platform with national coverage of Bulgaria.
Uplinked from a teleport in Aflenz in the Austrian Alps, it offers viewers over 150 TV channels, over 20 of which are in HD, in three packages, with even the smallest one providing HD services.
The new service was announced by Thanasis Katsiroumpas, CEO, and Adrian Jezina, chief multimedia & fixed services officer. According to the former, Bulgaria is way ahead the EU in the penetration of paid TV – its share in Bulgaria is 85% compared to 60% in the EU.
“In Bulgaria, these kind of services are offered at much lower prices than the average ones for Europe.
“The average monthly income from a customer in the EU is €22.36, and in Bulgaria it is three times lower – €7.47”.
Bulgarians watch TV an average of 225 minutes daily. Sixty per cent watch TV every day and 31% more than once a day. Eighty per cent of viewers state a preference for movies and 75% watch daily news.
Adrian Jezina presented the experience of Telekom Austria Group in providing of digital TV through satellite technology and revealed details about Mtel’s new service. Its equipment includes a satellite dish, LNB, HD satellite receiver and a smart card. All of the equipment is provided for free if a one or two year contract is signed, and when the contract is for an indefinite period the equipment can be purchased from Mtel. The price of the Economy package is only BGN9.90 per month with a two-year contract.
Mtel’s DTH service provides additional functions as an EPG, PVR, video and photo play, parental control and adjustment of the digital receiver remote control so that it works with the TV.
