29 August 1996
PRESS STATEMENT

The minister of Postal Services, Telecommunications,, François Fillon, made it known during his speech to the Summer Campus in Hourtin, that Mr Lévrier had submitted his report on the future of terrestrial digital over-the-air broadcasting.

The main conclusions of the report are as follows:

it is strategically worth considering digital television over-the-air broadcasting as, on the one hand, over-the-air broadcasting is by far the most widespread broadcast medium in France, advancing with the speed and scale of the spread of digital television sets in French homes; and, on the other hand, through the considerable frequency gains that we may hope for

- however, it would be premature to take a decision today in this area as the technology is not yet ready, and the economic players have not taken the investment decisions.

The minister announced that, based on this report, he intended to take two initiatives:

- firstly, a work group, chaired by Mr Philippe Lévrier, will be set up. It will be made up of all concerned parties (public powers, CSA [High Council for Broadcasting], Frequency Agency, operators, broadcasting bodies, and industry representatives). The object of the group will be to pursue the study in three directions:

a more in-depth analysis of the technical and commercial issues with regards to the digitisation of the networks and terminals in liaison with interested industrial parties,

provisional planning work for frequencies under the direction of the Frequency Agency as soon as it is set up,

consideration of the legal changes required for digital over-the-air broadcast.

secondly, granting from today of experimental licences for a few digital MMDS trials in application of the law on trials on the information highway, such as the project in the Vienne department in France.

© Secretary of State for industry - France