Responding to news of the action brought by DECO, ANACOM is confident that, at all times throughout the process of migration to DTT in Portugal, it did everything possible, in terms of Portugal Telecom's responsibility as the operator implementing the digital television network, to ensure that the process guaranteed consumers quality access to the digital television service.
The process of migration to DTT is a technically complex process, in which ANACOM ordered PT Comunicações to undertake optimisation of the network in order to improve quality of service - this led to the installation of new transmitters and the implementation of other initiatives, seeking to resolve the difficulties of signal reception experienced by consumers, which were only detected following the switch-off of the analogue signal with mass use of the network.
To oversee provision of services, ANACOM undertook over 450 enforcement actions and inspections to monitor signal quality across the country. These actions involved checks made at various addresses, sometimes encompassing entire neighbourhoods.
Throughout the process, DECO worked in partnership with ANACOM, bringing information to the population about the migration process: ensuring people knew what to do, what equipment they needed, and that people knew there was more than one type of coverage and about the available subsidy programmes. Under these agreements, to which ANACOM contributed more than 75,000 euros, DECO conducted 100 information sessions throughout the country, and performed tests on the DTT set-top-boxes available in the market, publishing information about their features and prices.
DECO was one of the entities that took part in the Grupo de Acompanhamento da Migração para a Televisão Digital (Digital Television Migration Monitoring Group); this group, chaired by ANACOM, was set up to oversee the DTT migration process and contribute to its successful conclusion, and also involved consumer protection groups, PT, television companies, providers of pay-TV services, equipment manufacturers, ERC, CPMCS, GMCS, and other relevant organisations.
At all times, throughout the entire process of migration to DTT, ANACOM has made every effort to accompany and support local populations, working together with DECO and PT to resolve all the difficulties which citizens brought to its attention.
