Serbia to get €24m loan for DTT project
September 10, 2014
From Branislav Pekic from Rome
Serbia’s Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic has announced that an agreement will be signed next week with the EBRD on a €24 million loan for the setting up of the second and third DTT multiplex.
Serbia previously received a €10 million loan from the European Union for the setting up of the first DTT multiplex.
The period of simulcasting analogue and digital TV signals started on 1 September, while the analogue switch-off will take place on 1 May 2015. The DTT signal already covers 93 per cent of the population.
However, the change will affect only 38 per cent of the population, as most Serbians receive their TV via cable, satellite and IPTV.
Ljajic also announced that the state will provide the poorest segments of the population (an estimated 180.000 citizens) with the necessary set-top boxes for receiving the digital TV signal.
The Serbian government expects that the total cost for the introduction of DTT will reach €39 million, which is far less than the initial estimate of €75 million.