Tatarstan to begin DVB-T2 tests

The Russian republic of Tatarstan is to begin test broadcasting in the DVB-T2 format in the capital Kazan this quarter, according to the head of the National Agency for Press and Mass Communications, Marat Muratov.

Muratov said that digital-terrestrial TV would cover the entire territory of Tatarstan by 2014. The republic will broadcast the nationwide Russian multiplex of eight national channels, with one regional opt-out.

Muratov said a question mark hung over the future of regional broadcasting, due to with ongoing dissolution of affiliate agreements between national and local broadcasters.