The Finnish government has announced new Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) licenses until 2027. Details of the announcement can be found here. Interestingly, a new network operator has been introduced into the market - Norkring AS (Norway).
As the Finnish Government press release states, "The decisions are based on the aim to promote competition in the television broadcast service market. A further aim is to promote the provision of high-quality and diverse contents throughout the country and to increase the supply of high-definition broadcasts in the antenna television network."
DTT has a bright future even in countries like Finland who has traditionally been very supportive of mobile broadband. These new DTT licenses confirm that the EU and CEPT are right to oppose a mobile allocation in the UHF band 470 - 694 MHz at the ongoing WRC-15. It is reassuring for the DTT industry around Europe that even those countries highly supportive of mobile broadband recognise the value of DTT well into the 2020s.
The majority position expressed at the WRC-15 until now gives the EBU confidence that the outcome of the Conference will safeguard the future of DTT in the UHF.