Meo warns of additional costs for DTT migration
October 16, 2019
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Meo (Altice Portugal) has warned of a “high probability” of additional operational costs due to ‘gaps’ in the timetable for the DTT migration process of the 700 MHz band, proposed by the regulator.
This is one of the five points addressed by the DTT network operator in a letter sent to the president of the National Communications Authority (Anacom), to which the Lusa news agency had access.
In the letter, Meo stresses that “in situations of lack of service, it is normal for users to resort to the helpline services of the DTT provider to get clarification or support”. According to the operator, “these costs will be duly recorded and later presented to Anacom for their respective reimbursement”.
It further reiterates that the timetable “does not appear to be sufficiently flexible”, but rather “vulnerable to potential delays or unforeseen events”, which Meo considers will arise “mainly from the late launch of the prior hearing and public consultation process”.
In regards to the migration timetable announced last week by Anacom (starting between the third week of January and the first week of February and ending on June 30th 2020), Meo made clear that the schedule ‘will be impossible to comply with, as it has been repeating and justifying for the past year, since the start of the activities of the working group’.
Furthermore, Meo said it will inform Anacom on November 15th of the revision of the estimated costs of migration of the DTT network to the sub-700 MHz band, ‘taking into account the final values presented by suppliers, the established schedule and other aspects of the decision that impact on project costs’.
Meo has to send to Anacom a detailed planning of changes to the 240 transmitters that compose the DTT network, indicating the date on which each transmitting station will be altered.
Finally, the operator also stated that it will challenge Anacom’s decision before the Administrative Court.