Russia has considered creating a state-owned satellite operator to serve homes unable to receive DTT services.
However, reports TelecomDaily, quoting Alexei Volin, deputy minister of communications and mass media, the idea was abandoned after negotiations with the satellite industry.
It adds that the main reason for doing so was that such an operator broadcasting unencrypted DTH signals would have dealt a serious blow to the satellite industry in Russia.
Volin said that at present 800,000 homes in the country are unable to receive DTT services. This is equivalent to around 1.6% of the population.
Satellite operators have offered to provide residents of remote areas access to the first and second DTT multiplexes for free and around 300,000 homes currently receive satellite TV services in this way.
Last December President Putin signed a law obliging DTH operators to provide the services on the first and second multiplexes to homes unable to receive DTT signals.
The initiative for this came from the operators themselves.
