The European Commission approved on Thursday 23 January, under State Aid rules, the Czech Republic's plan to compensate operators of digital terrestrial television (DTT) platforms for the direct costs incurred in migrating from the 694-790 MHz frequency band ('700 MHz band') to lower frequencies.
This migration follows a 2017 decision that imposed the release of the 700 MHz band from DTT use by June 2020 to allow the deployment of 5G mobile telecommunication services. The 2017 Decision provides that Member States should ensure the availability of the sub-700 MHz band for DTT until 2030 and may compensate the direct costs incurred by DTT platform operators for the spectrum migration.
The Commission assessed the aid measure and found that the €3.1 million aid is limited to the costs that are strictly necessary to adapt the DTT platforms to the new frequencies and had no significant impact on trade and competition. In addition, the measure will contribute to the EU’s objective of introducing 5G mobile services while keeping DTT services available to consumers. The Commission therefore concluded that the measure is in line with EU State Aid rules. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)