EU invests €10.5 million in TV digitalisation in Serbia

The European Union will invest a €10.5 million grant for the project of TV digitalisation in Serbia. The Project, worth €12 million in total, was presented by the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert and Serbian Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society Jasna Matić.

Degert said at the press conference held at Avala Tower that a tender for procurement of the equipment necessary for digitalisation was issued seven months ago, and added that the project will provide better quality of image and sound and a possibility to record TV programme, or choose among a range of subtitles in different languages.

“It is necessary to ensure technical requirements for digitalisation, but it is also important to inform the citizens about the whole process and its significance”, concluded Degert, highlighting that “it is very good news that Serbia is progressing in the process of digitalisation together with the EU member states”.

“Serbia will move to the digital signal on time, by 2012”, said Degert.

Jasna Matić said that over €12 million will be invested in a network of digital transmitters, and that more than €10 million will be granted for this purpose by the European Union.

According to her, €8 million of the funding contributed from the EU’s IPA financial instrument will be allocated to the procurement of equipment, and the remaining 2.5 million will be spent for consultancy services. The TV digitalisation project in Serbia will cost between €50 and 70 million in total, said Matić.

Serbian Telecommunications Minister said that the digitalisation of TV signal would be completed by 4 April 2012. This network will cover about 95% of Serbia’s territory and the signal will be broadcast by the public company “Emisiona tehnika i veze” (“Broadcasting Technology and Links”) under the same conditions for all authorised broadcasters.