The implementation of DTT in Portugal: A case of public-private interplay

The introduction of the digital terrestrial television (DTT) in Portugal has developed slowly and hesitantly for over a decade. Technological uncertainties and the absence of a clear business model contributed for a sluggish development of the process. Portugal is today one of the European countries with fewer DTT channels. However, and differently from other EU states, the Portuguese authorities have played a double role in the process: as a legislator/regulator and as a protector of the biggest telecommunications operator in the country, Portugal Telecom (PT). In the Portuguese case, the public sector (not always overt) position was based on a symbiotic relationship between the State and PT (now the holder of the frequency use rights for the provision of the DTT service). This symbiosis was made possible through golden shares that were held by the State in PT, since the privatization of the company. The interplay between the State and PT regarding the establishment of the DTT in Portugal is the main focus of this article.