NTC ruling to soon allow HDTV broadcast services

A National Telecommunications Commission ruling on Digital Terrestrial Television is expected to pave the way for the implementation of high-definition video broadcast services in the Philippines.

In its first draft regulations, NTC said the sole standard in delivering Digital Terrestrial Television in the Philippines is digital video broadcast terrestrial (DVB-T), which uses the MPEG-2 compression standard.

Likewise, NTC said that current analog television broadcast stations will be allowed to apply for authorization to provide Digital Terrestrial Television services and will have the option of adopting either the higher-quality high-definition TV (HDTV) or standard definition TV (SDTV).

Digital Terrestrial Television providers may opt for a pay-per-view business model provided they obtain permission from the NTC.

To qualify for a national authorization to provide Digital Terrestrial Television, applicants with 15 or more television stations must have at least P1 billion in paid-up capital, the draft regulations said.

Analog TV providers with fewer than 15 stations are required to have at least P1.2 billion in paid-up capital, and startup companies that do not have any TV stations are required to have at least P1.5 billion in paid-up capital.

All applicants must also hold an existing nationwide congressional broadcast franchise.

Applications for local Digital Terrestrial Television services must have at least P60 million in paid-up capital and have at least a local congressional broadcast franchise.

The draft regulations also stated that the NTC would require all analog TV providers to convert to digital transmission by the end of December 2015.

However, the NTC will continue accepting license applications for analog TV until December 31, 2008.

Digital TV provides higher video quality than traditional analog video, and makes it possible for stations to provide viewers with interactive services. - Jasmin R. Uy