From David Del Valle in Madrid

The launch of DVB-H mobile TV in Spain has been put on hold until the next Government’s mandate following the general elections in March 2008. The General Secretary of Telecommunications, Francisco Ros, confirmed that the DVB-H mobile TV plans “stand adjourned”.

The lack of a specific legal framework which the present Administration failed to approve over the last months is likely to delay the introduction of mobile TV services, based on the European Commission-backed DVB-H standard at least until the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009.

The Government had undertaken to award a multiplex, with a capacity of up to 20 mobile TV channels, in the last quarter of this year. The decision to put it on hold comes at a time when there is a hot debate in the country about the advisability of distributing certain pay TV services through the DTT platform. Francisco Ros is for allowing certain pay TV services on DTT on the grounds that not including these (pay) services, “would be a great mistake”.

Meanwhile, Eladio Gutierrez, Director of RTVE Digital, has been appointed as the new president of ImpulsaTDT, the Pro DTT Association, created to boost the DTT take-up in Spain.

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