Kosovo fails in the process of digitalisation, Serbia with HD broadcast

Kosovo's failure in digitalisation of television is emerging to be one of the main causes for such a thing. Even in the Progress Report, Kosovo's failure in this process is identified.

And Independent Commission for Media (KPM) says it has asked the Kosovo government several times for financial support, but has not received the necessary support.

KPM chief executive chief Luan Latifaj says it is exactly the digitalisation of television that enables Serbia to transmit to the HD signal.

As far as Kosovo's lack of television broadcast on the H HD signal is concerned, he says such a thing is the consequence of Kosovo's non-membership in the ITU. And according to him, financial shortages have made them impossible KKPM security transmission signal.

Kosovo is not part of the ITU, since it is not part of the United Nations. This is the main problem Serbia manages with judicial frequency I'm speaking, within the ITU. The Serbian state has made broadcasting planning, and one of the signals has Kosovo, for example. Why are televisions from Serbia on the H HD signal seen is the fact that Serbia has completed digital transmission and one of the broadcasters introducing digital waves into Kosovo's territory is located on the top of the Kopolonic, where they are depending on the country's relief... Financial shortages, despite the demands we have had, made it impossible for us as responsible for managing this process to have the opportunity to secure transmission signal”, he said.

In an interview for Kosovo, Press Latifaj says the government must invest in the construction of the primary network in order to create opportunities for foreign investors.

The problem is that we as a state have not taken almost no steps towards implementing digital transmission. As the KPM, it is the fourth time we have sent to the Government the strategy for digitalisation, which is a strategic document, where in detail the steps the state of Kosovo has to take to begin digital broadcasting. With the deadline set by the ITU, 2015 was the last year. It means we've also tried through donations, through the World Bank, but they probably haven't seen opportunities. So it remains definitely for Government to invest in the construction of the primary network first and then to have opportunity to extract foreign investors. This is a serious problem in the area of transmission, where our state should deal seriously with this feature”, he said.

It shows that five Serbian televisions are licensed at the Independent Media Commission.

“On analog transmission we have 5 televisions that are licensed, they're all licensed to the KPM and co-operation is very good with all televisions, including radios, including Albanian and all other communities... Licensed TVs broadcasting the Serbian language programme are TV Most, good TV, TV Zoom, Tv Herc and TV plus”, he said.

For Mentor Hoxhaj, leader of the Community for Cyber Security and Privatety, failure of the television digitalisation process is robbing Kosovo citizens to watch HD channels free of charge.

Hoxhaj tells Kosovo Press that even the current situation that is ruling as a result of the pandemic caused by the choreographer would be slightly softened if citizens were not obliged to pay to watch television channels.

This process in Kosovo has failed, has not yet been completed. And, therefore, this is robbing Kosovo's citizens to watch HD channels and free of charge. Kosovo citizens are obliged to receive one of the digital packages that are offered, thus increasing the cost. At the first moment that we would have digitized channels and citizens would have the opportunity to look at the simple antenna, this would be a huge contribution to citizens, especially at this time of pandemic”, he says.

And for Serb channels broadcast in Kosovo, Hoxhaj says they must have KPM approval, otherwise they act illegally.

“As far as the channels of neighbouring states that are in the Republic of Kosovo, all those channels would have to have preliminary approval of the KPM, of using wave space from ARKEP, should have the right license. At the first moment that these operate without licenses, they are illegally operating”, Hoxhaj points out.

Kosova Prees is interested in receiving an answer from the prime minister's office regarding what has been done so far in terms of digitalisation, given the fact that Serbian channels broadcast in Kosovo have a H HD signal, but that the latter has not returned.