Representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the consortium of companies “Sirius 2010” Banja Luka and “Odašiljači i veze Zagreb” signed today the Contract for the procurement of equipment for digital transmission and broadcasting of public radio and television services in BiH, whose value is 25.8 million KM without VAT.

Under the contract, in 18 months, a digital signal will be released throughout BiH, and analog transmitters will be discontinued.

After 18 years, when Bosnia and Herzegovina, by signing the Geneva Agreement, assumed the obligation to turn off the analog television signal by June 2015, all the conditions have finally been fulfilled after signing today’s Contract.

On behalf of the Ministry, the contract was signed by Minister Edin Forto, and on behalf of the consortium Sirius 2010 Banja Luka, Momčilo Đukić.

Forto reminded that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the last country in Europe that does not have a digital radio and TV signal, which is a sufficient reason to finally solve this problem.

“Other European countries did it a few years after signing the contracts, and we extended the digitization process to the maximum,” he explained.

Forto emphasized that the first phase was started ten years ago, and that Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Mostar are covered by a digital signal.

“It is time for the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be covered with a digital signal, and to finally join the rest of Europe,” he said.

Forto expressed hope that there will be no delays, and that there is insurance for the good performance of the work.

Assistant Minister Vlatko Drmić said that the deadline for launching a digital signal throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina is 512 days from the date of signing this contract.

When asked by a journalist what ultimately resulted in that particular consortium getting the contract, since the media wrote about controversies and the whole story got a court epilogue, Forto said that he did not notice anything controversial about the selection of the bidder.

Forto emphasized that two consortia applied for the public call, but that one did not meet the requirements.

“They appealed, but the Appeals Office and the Court rejected that appeal,” concluded Forto.

The process of digitizing TV signals in BiH began with the establishment of the Forum on Digital Television in May 2006. Three years later, in August 2009, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Strategy for the transition from analog to digital terrestrial broadcasting in the frequency bands 174-230 MHz and 470-862 MHz in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It was only at the end of March 2014 that the first agreement on the digitization of TV signals in the area of Sarajevo, Banjaluka and Mostar was signed within Multiplex A.