ANACOM heads off pay TV miss-selling fear during 700MHz clearance

Portuguese regulator ANACOM has said it is prohibiting the practice of inducing consumers to sign up for pay TV services by implying that digital-terrestrial TV is about to shut down.

Portugal is currently in the initial stages of a transition that will see digital-terrestrial channels vacate the 700MHz frequency spectrum that is being reallocated to support the rollout of 5G mobile services in the country.

ANACOM said that digital-terrestrial TV and free-to-air channels RTP1, RTP2, RTP3, RTP Memória, SIC, TVI , AR TV, as well as RTP Açores and RTP Madeirawill continue to be available for free.

It said it was taking a precautionary measure to prohibit unfair commercial practices whereby operators might induce consuerms to subscribe to services they do not need as the DTT network migration gets underway nationwide on February 7.

Portuguese DTT viewers will be required to retune their TV or receiver to continue to receive signals as themigration gets underway. ANACOM said that the process would not require anyone to reorient or replace antennas or to change their TV set or decoder.

The watchdog has been at odds with Altice Portugal/Meo, the operator tasked with managing the transition as the major transmission network provider for the country. The pair have clashed over the phasing and timing of the project.