Law lags behind technology in digital switchover

Romania’s switch to digital television is awaiting approval from several ministries, said Valerian Vreme, the minister of communications, during the International Digital Forum.

“From a technical viewpoint, Romania is ready to make the transition to digital terrestrial television, but we must wait for the legal framework. We are still waiting for the approval of various ministries and depending on when this comes, we can make the transition in several months,” he said.

The transition to digital terrestrial television is a process that is going on across the entire European Union, added the minister. It will bring the appearance of new broadcasting platforms that transmit TV programs in digital format. It also requires clearing the necessary spectrum that will be used for 4G technologies and broadband internet.

Romania’s transition to digital was blocked last year. The country had promised the EU that the analog signal would be turned off by January 1, 2012. Instead, on August 11, 2010, the government passed a bill stipulating that TV transmission in analog format would only cease by January 1, 2015.

“In Romania, between 1 and 2 million households may need support for the transition, for example poor people in rural remote areas or disabled and elderly people,” said Helmut Egenbauer, president for Central Europe st TDF, the French transmission services company.

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Romania is competitive on IT solutions market, says minister of communications
Nokia’s departure from Romania should not be seen as a tragedy but a normal development in a global market economy, according to pundits who took part in the International Digital Forum.

Furthermore, the country still has a lot going for it in the sector, they added.
“Romania is competitive on the market of informatics solutions. IBM, Oracle and HP have found resources in this field and it is here that we should place the focus: the highly qualified human resources in IT&C,” said Vreme.

Florin Lupescu, principal counselor within the European Commission, sees Nokia’s decision as “a normal situation in a global market economy. We are living in a global economy and a large company cannot afford not to be global,” said Lupescu, adding that “one of the conditions of a market economy is free access on the market.”

However, Lupescu said Romania should rely more on creativity and on driving innovation.
“We are witnessing both a deindustrialization and a re-industrialization process. The idea is to create a new revolutionary industry. Overcoming an obstacle can only be done with new solutions,” said Lupescu.

Otilia Haraga