Crown Castle UK to Provide Additional Digital TV Broadcast Capacity

19 January 2005

Mobile telecommunication and broadcast transmission infrastructure company, Crown Castle UK, is to make available additional TV broadcast capacity on its Multiplex D, part of the UK’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.

Crown Castle is license holder for two of the UK’s six DTT multiplexes and also provides transmission services for the platform. It has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to interested parties for additional broadcast capacity, equivalent to one TV channel, to be made available for up to 18-hours per day and limited to free-to-air service use. The initial contract term will be 12 months, commencing 1 April 2005.

This additional capacity has become available as a result of CCUK’s continuing advancements in infrastructure technology, and mirrors broadcasters' interest in acquiring further TV channel capacity. Closing date is 31 January 2005 for interested parties to submit sealed binding bids.

- End -

Notes to Editors:

Crown Castle UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Transco and is the leading independent provider of infrastructure to the mobile telecommunications operators in the UK, with a portfolio of 14,500 sites throughout the UK.

Crown Castle UK is also one of the two providers of terrestrial infrastructure for the transmission of analogue and digital television and radio broadcasts in the UK and as such achieves a 98% population coverage. In addition to the traditional analogue services, Crown Castle UK has a strong position in the growing digital television market, owning two of the six digital terrestrial television licences and providing infrastructure services to all the Freeview channels and the BBC and BSkyB.

Contact for further Information:

Stephen Arnold
Communications Manager
+44 (0) 1926 416 870
+44 (0) 7803 887 288 (m)