ACA announces datacasting auction deadline
- — 24 January, 2001 11:08
Currently there are no digital datacasting services available in Australia. Licences of the 7MHz bandwidth offers licensees the ability to provide Internet carriage services, information services and the potential of interactivity via the television set.
Subject to regulatory and legislative changes, DTL holders may be able to use their licence to enter the Australian commercial television or pay television markets, post 2006.
Two DTLs will be allocated in the auction to each of the eight geographic services areas, which are located in major population areas within Australia. The spectrum will be configured for auction in 16 lots, two in each of the eight areas.
Under the new competition limits recently announced by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, no company or its associates will be allowed to buy more than one licence in each of the service areas.
The auction will be conducted over a number of rounds through electronic bidding over the Internet, with successful bidders allocated licences with a 10-year term and the ability to renew for a further five years.
