Articles
Latvia adopts DVB-T
December 28, 2000
The tiny Baltic country of Latvia has announced it will adopt the European-based DVB-T as its digital television standard.
The country plans a three-stage transition with the goal of shutting off analog broadcasts as early as 2006. In the first stage, Riga, its capital city, will launch digital broadcasts by the end of 2001, covering 45 percent of the country's population.
Programming, interactive services and distribution of digital set-top boxes should be completed by the end of 2002 and the entire country is expected to have DTV coverage by the end of 2005. The country will begin issuing frequency licenses in May 2001 for four national multiplexes with two additional channels for the Riga region.
The Latvian government has put out a call for external consultants to develop business models for DVB-T. Expected topics covered will include changes in regulatory telecommunications policy, technical support, developing commerce models and engineering management.
Source: Digital TV Group
With contributions by Tom Butts, Managing Editor
