Digital terrestrial network for television: Renewed invitation to tender

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs will in June this year invite to a renewed tender for a licence to operate and build a digital terrestrial television network in Norway. The applicants will be given a time limit of three months from date of tender.

After the invitation to tender in June 2002, there was only one applicant for the DTT licence; Norges Television AS (NTV). In February this year, NTV applied for a prolongation of the licence from 12 to 15 years. In March this year, the Ministries notified that if there were other interested parties wishing to tender for the licence on the same terms as the original invitation to tender with later adjustments, the Norwegian DDT licence would be awarded anew by means of a "beauty contest".

Only one party reported interest to tender for a licence, Telenor Broadcast Holding AS.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs have now decided to send out a renewed invitation to tender for an authorisation and a licence to operate and build a digital terrestrial television network in Norway. The Ministries will send out the tender documents in June this year.

Further information:

Press release of 07.03.05 "Digital terrestrial for television: Notification of a three year extension of licence period