Business World: Decision on digital TV standard seen by mid-2012

Our first news article for 2012 is simply talking that “history repeats itself”. Last year on the same month, we’ve gone into NTC’s decision on finalizing the country’s migration to digital terrestrial TV standard. And then the delay had happened.

Finally, the National Telecommunications Commission is now ready to concretize the details on the Philippines’ plan for the DTV migration. With the help of DOST, the agencies are furnishing every aspect of the migration plan. We therefore again expecting June of this year, hope it’ll work through. Read the article after the break.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) may arrive at a final decision on which digital television standard to use in the second half of this year, as it has yet to finish a migration plan needed before choosing a standard.

This, as the digital TV migration plan is expected to be completed within the first half of the year, Gamaliel A. Cordoba, NTC commissioner, told BusinessWorld in a phone interview on Friday.

“After finishing the digital TV migration plan, we can move on to choosing the standard. [We’re] hoping we can decide [on a standard] in the second half,” Mr. Cordoba said.

Last August, an NTC technical working group recommended before the agency the adoption of the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard rather than the European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology.

After the NTC decides on which digital TV standard to adopt and issues the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the technology, broadcasting firms can start rolling out the digital signals alongside analog signals.

This, however, will have to wait until the digital TV migration plan is finished.

“The Department of Science and Technology, assisted by by NTC, is formulating the migration plan from analog TV to digital,” Mr. Cordoba said.

“We hope [the migration plan] will be finished within the first half of the year,” he added.

Last November, the NTC decided to formulate a digital TV migration plan before deciding on which standard to use.

“Through the migration plan, we will be able to foresee issues that may come up in the implementation of the country’s shift to digital TV,” Mr. Cordoba said.

The plan will also include a timetable for the implementation of the shift to digital TV and a listing on how much the government, broadcasting firms, and the public are projected to spend, Mr. Cordoba said.

Government will be spending for the spectrum auction of TV signals, the broadcasting firms will spend for the needed infrastructure in rolling out digital TV signals, and the public will need to purchase set-top boxes or new TV sets, Mr. Cordoba previously said.

In 2010, the country aimed to complete the shift to digital TV by 2015, but the NTC in August last year said it may move the target to a later date as the implementation has been long delayed.

In June 2010, NTC, following unanimous industry support, chose Japan’s standard as the country’s digital TV platform over Europe’s DVB technology.

However, the House Committee on Information and Communication Technology, in March 2011, encouraged a review of which standard to adopt, since the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) was not assessed in last year’s review.

The NTC, then, conducted another review and in August 2011, a technical working group of the agency recommended the adoption of the Japan ISDB-T standard.

Aside from Japan, the ISDB-T has been widely adopted in South America.

Meanwhile, the DVB-2 technology has been adopted in Europe, states in South Africa, India, Singapore, and Sri Lanka among others. On the other hand, there are 119 countries that have adopted the first generation European standard, according to the DVB Project Web site. – Kathleen A. Martin, dated 23 January 2012, 12:05 AM

Source: Business World

Business World: Digital TV rules out next year

The regulatory body tackling the digital terrestrial TV rules states the Implementing Rules and Regulations roll-out on the first half of 2012. The National Telecommunications Commission is set to update the IRR adding the Migration Plan, a timetable of dates regarding the gradual DTT migration on urban and rural areas. Covering up also are the economic plans for the set top boxes and receivers that will be sold as DTT starts. Read the article after the jump.

THE NATIONAL Telecommunications Commission (NTC) may issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the country’s digital television standard within the first half of next year, an official said earlier this week.

This, as the NTC said it will need to add a “migration plan” in the IRR, which was planned to be issued last April.

“We might not finish it (the IRR) by year-end because we will be adding a migration plan from analog to digital TV,” Gamaliel A. Cordoba, NTC Commissioner, said in a telephone interview.

“It might [come out] within the first half [of next year],” he added.

The migration plan, he said, will provide the timetable of implementation of the digital TV standard.

“It will also contain how much the government, broadcasting firms and the public will need or are projected to spend,” Mr. Cordoba explained further.

Government will be spending for the spectrum auction of TV signals, broadcast firms will spend for infrastructure needed to roll out digital TV signals, while the public will need to purchase set-top boxes or new TV sets, Mr. Cordoba noted.

Moreover, the migration plan will delve into how transition to digital TV will be implemented per area in the country.

“We will consider whether to roll out [digital TV signals] in an urban area first...or to roll out in different areas at the same time,” Mr. Cordoba said.

An NTC technical working group in August had already recommended the adoption of the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard.

However, NTC has yet to render a final decision, Mr. Cordoba said.

In June last year, NTC, citing industry support, chose Japan’s standard as the country’s digital TV platform over the European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology.

However, the House of Representatives Committee on Information and Communication Technology last March encouraged a review of which standard to adopt, arguing the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) was not assessed in last year’s review. – Kathleen A Martin, dated 18 November 2011.

Source: Business World

Malaya: NTC shelves digital TV IRR issuance

So much for the migration plan, the delay is somewhat beneficial to GMA Network, the only broadcaster who voted for European' DVB-T2 standard, according to its Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon. Meanwhile, ABS-CBN’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Rolando Valdueza said that the network will have no problem switching their system to DVB-T2 whenever the government still opted for the European standard.

On a lighter note, the only thing awaited is the migration plan to be included in the Implementing Rules and Regulation. Read the whole article after the break.

The much-awaited issuance of the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) on Digital Terrestrial Television will most likely not happen this year.

Gamaliel Cordoba, commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), told Malaya Business Insight in a phone interview that the government had asked the NTC, along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), to make a "migration plan" for the smooth shift from analog to digital TV.

Cordoba said that the migration plan must be included in the IRR.

"The migration plan will be included in the IRR," Cordoba said, adding that the issuance will probably happen by early next year.

The rules were originally scheduled for release in June this year, a year after NTC released Memorandum Circular No. 02-06-2010 which sets the standards for digital TV broadcast service.

NTC has chosen Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) as the country’s sole standard for DTT, but the new administration asked the NTC to conduct another review.

The government wants the NTC to compare between European and Japanese standards and find out which is better for the country in terms of technical and cost effectiveness.

Although the country has chosen Japanese standards over the European, the government has yet to sign a formal agreement with Japan. .

The NTC has established a technical working group composed of stakeholders of the television broadcast industry, including the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), for the formulation of the implementing rules and regulation for DTT.

KBP and its members were in favor of Japanese standard because of its affordable set-top boxes and the assistance that the Japanese government promised the Philippines.

Some TV networks have undertaken test broadcasts of digital broadcast using ISDB-T, namely ABS-CBN, Net 25, RPN, IBC 13, Channel 4 and SBN.

But GMA Network Inc., a KBP non-member, preferred Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2).

Despite the broadcast firms’ different views, the country’s top 3 broadcast stations (GMA, ABS-CBN and TV5) have been investing for the digitalization of their network.

ABS-CBN has estimated to spend P3 billion for migration to Digital TV, P500 million of which have already been spent for the transmitter, acquisitions and film rights, according to Rolando Valdueza, the company’s chief finance officer.

Among the three broadcast network, ABS-CBN through its cable network Sky Cable, introduced its DTV services last May, ahead of its competitors.

The DTV boxes are priced one-time at P2,500 with five free channels and better signal.

The network has conducted test broadcast for the DTT using ISDB-T in Mexico in Pampanga and the towns of San Miguel, San Ildefonso and San Rafael in Bulacan.

Valdueza said that although the company started to conduct a test using Japanese technology, if the government reversed its decision in favor of European standard, it "will have no major impact on the company."

He added that another three to six months delay in issuances of IRR is still "doable".

The delay, however, works in the favor of the GMA Network Inc.

Felipe Gozon, GMA chairman and CEO, said that the delay in the issuance of the IRR has no impact on his company.

"It is good for us. Our people here cannot yet afford [set-top box], you have to give them time, for them to accept the Digital transition were talking to millions of customers," Gozon said.

GMA has allocated P600 million for digital TV.

He stressed, however, that GMA’s equipment are digital ready.

The DTT allows the broadcast network to deliver multiple programs on single channel, using one transmitter, so consumers can watch the programs earlier aired at their own time.

This will also pave the way for the introduction of the mobile TV services, allowing users to watch the station’s TV program via phone.

The Philippines will be the first in Asia to adopt the Japanese standard for digital TV. – Myla Iglesias, dated 16 November 2011

Source: Malaya