"Hungary has achieved outstanding results at a telecommunications conference in Geneva," Pataki said. "We received eight terrestrial digital video broadcasting [DVB-T] and three terrestrial digital audio broadcasting [T-DAB] multiplexes, which will enable the establishment of 30-40 television and further 20 radio channels within the next six years."

At the RRC06 conference, concluded in Geneva last week, Hungary succeeded in acquiring five further DVB-T multiplexes on top the existing three. The eight multiplexes will enable the operation of 30-40 terrestrial television channels available countrywide instead of the current three, Pataki added. The analogue-digital switch is to take place by 2012, as required by the EU.

In the second phase of the transition, strict legal boundaries, which currently only allow digital broadcasting of public television and radio channels, will change. In order to help the analogue-to-digital transition, the regulatory background needs to be transformed, according to Pataki.

On the other side, the transition is largely dependent on viewers, Pataki stressed. In Hungary, 98% of households have a television set but 33% of all users have access only to terrestrial video broadcasting. These viewers will have the possibility to watch 30-40 channels only if they purchase television sets allowing digital pickup.