Dmytro Makovenko, head of frequency department of Ukrainian science institute of Radio and TV will speak about ethereal digital net during V International Forum “Digital broadcasting in Ukraine” which will be held in September, 13, 2011 within Kiev Media Week.

In this interview you can read about his report and what changes we can wait during transition to the digital broadcasting next year and other questions about digital broadcasting.

– Mr. Makoveenko, could you please tell more about your speech at Digital Forum?

– The main thesis - technical parameters of terrestiral digital network being built by Zeonbud doesn’t promote the fastest transition from analog to digital broadcasting and gives any alternative for those don't using terrestrial digital broadcasting.

- In big cities transmitter’s power doesn’t exceed 1 kVt. It doesn't give a chance to accept digital broadcasting via home antenna, so majority population in cities will continue to watch cable TV.

- According to the research of our institute population coverage of ethereal digital broadcasting will be significantly lower than population coverage which is declared. That means that in villages on the big territory when analog broadcasting will be launched there is only one method of reception - satellite, ethereal digital will not come there.

– In your mind, what are the perspectives of frequency resource planning by International Community of telecommunications?

Agreement Geneva- 06 is sufficiently flexible, so new such scale agreement will not be next 10 years. Only gradual decrease of range number that is for television broadcasting. This tendency has been started and now all Europe have reduced range for television broadcasting to 72 MGr – it is the first phase of digital dividend. Second phase of digital dividend, which is planned on 2015-2016, provides additional reduction to 94 MGr. And all this frequency resource will be given for the technologies 4G LTE.

– How do you feel, what can we wait from Ukrainian transition to the digital broadcasting in 2012?

– I consider that in 2011 the net of ethereal digital broadcasting will be built and 2012 will become not a year of talking but real transition from analog to digital broadcasting. What can we wait? Of course, population will have many problems with reception facilities because two factors: standard DVB-T2 enough new but population competency is low. We can predict that rates for distribution of ethereal programs will decrease and in 2012 this question began to solve. I also think that new players must appear on the market except Zeonbud, because such monopoly is not advantageous for broadcasters.

– In your mind, what is the main problem of Ukrainian transition to the digital broadcasting?

– At first, the main problem is that transition to the digital broadcasting is connected with not only market professionals but also with main part of country population. And I think that scale illuminative and advertising company is necessary. I mean call-centers and also centers with technical assistance hardware setup. I want to note that buying a top box to convert the signal is not enough for review of digital broadcasting, in many cases it will be necessary to change receiving antenna.

From other side, transition to the digital broadcasting is not automatically transition of population from analog to the digital ethereal broadcasting. Viewer will have a choice in such condition when cost of transition from analog to digital broadcasting is approximately the same. So, viewer must be interested and then question of quality and number of programs (content) come to the first plane. In my mind, broadcasting contest, which was held by National Council on TV and Radio questions don’t inspire optimism about unambiguous win of ethereal digital broadcasting to satellite broadcasting.