Digital Terrestrial changes frequencies because of 5G: 18 million families need a decoder

Lorenzo Delli


12/11/2019 10:29 am

There 700 MHz band, currently used for the transmission of television programs on DTT, will soon be used by telephone operators for 5G. As expected for a long time then, most TVs in Italian homes will no longer be reached by the Digital Terrestrial signal. This is because the appliances, to receive the "new”Signal, must be compatible with the second-generation digital terrestrial television standard, known by the name DVB-T2.

DVB-T2 can take advantage of the frequencies between 470 and 790 MHz, but of course, just to encourage 5G, will always have to stay below 700 MHz. It is from the first of January 2017 that the electronic distribution networks are obliged to sell televisions "DVB-T2 Ready". As a result, anyone has a TV before 1 January 2017 will need one additional expense for the purchase of a special decoder for digital terrestrial or for the replacement of your own device. It is estimated that there are almost 18 million families that, with the gradual transition to the new frequencies, they would no longer be able to see the programs broadcast on digital terrestrial. And we talk about families, without making a calculation of the number of televisions actually present in these households. The transition phase of the frequencies will take place from 2020 to close definitively on 1 July 2022.

READ ALSO: All about 5G and the frequencies occupied by the various operators

To meet the need for new decoders, the Gentiloni government had established a fund of about 151 million euros to be paid as a bonus for the purchase of new televisions. The bonus is obviously not open to everyone. The beneficiaries of the contribution must obviously be resident in the Italian territory and must belong to the band I and II of the Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator, better known as ISEE. Here the situation gets a little confused. The bonus was formalized by the Ministry of Economic Development e will start from December 2019 following the publication of “MiSE – MEF decree, foreseen in the Official Gazette in the coming days". In the material that could already be consulted, as reported by Repubblica.it, there is talk of a contribution of € 50 per family, usable only once per household until the end of 2022. It would be one "discount / contribution / bonus”Applied directly by the seller during the purchase phase.

It is not clear however if this contribution of € 50 is the same as for the bonus determined by the ISEE or if it is a separate contribution that all residents in Italy can access for the purchase of, for example, a DVB-T2 decoder. We'll know more in a few weeks. Meanwhile, the undersecretary for economic development, Mirella Liuzzi, said that the goal of the Ministry is to increase the current 151 million of euros so as to widen the pool of citizens admitted to the contribution.