Antonio Hernando to decide on new DTT licenses and manage 20 billion NextGen funds

Antonio Hernando will replace the head of this Secretary of State Maria Gonzalez Veracruz. However, the latter will continue to be part of the ministry led by López, but now at the head of the area of ​​digitalization and artificial intelligence after the departure of Mayte Ledo to the Bank of Spain after the appointment of José Luis Escriva as the new governor.

Hernando is a historic member of the PSOE who has held positions of responsibility both within the party and its parliamentary group and within the government. However, as sources in the sector point out, Their experience in technology and telecommunications issues is, a priori, less to that of his predecessors in office.

TNT

One of the first issues Hernando will have to address once he takes office as Secretary of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure will be the reorganization of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)since all the skills related to the audiovisual sector fall to this ministry and, more precisely, to its department.

For months, technicians from this Secretariat of State have been working in collaboration with the sector to prepare TNT technological development planwhich aims to promote the development of Ultra High Definition (UHD) technology. This is something that, for the moment, only Spanish Radio Television (RTVE) is doing.

This new plan will lead to a reorganization of the radio spectrum calculated will leave space for at least one new free TV channel. In fact, in the audiovisual sector, it is already known that the government will soon launch its call for tenders, as well as the interest of the Prisa group in taking it over.

However, the media are pushing for this reorganization of DTT to At least two new channels’ licenses are being auctionedA request that the ministry does not view favorably, because it believes that there is not enough spectrum for this.

However, it should not be forgotten that in the current configuration of DTT RTVE has a channel that it doesn’t usein order to be able to get rid of them and thus facilitate the auctioning of at least two new licenses.

Although the transition to UHD technology is required by law, the sector has been surprised by the government’s haste in carrying out this entire process. In fact, it has already informed the stakeholders involved that, if it is confirmed that there will be new channels, they will study the possibility of putting the licenses out to tender in 2025.

Sepi Digital

With the time trial, Hernando will also have the management of billions of euros of European funds to promote the country’s technological development, next-generation telecommunications networks, new digital infrastructures and the creation of an ecosystem around the semiconductor industry.

Under Hernando’s leadership will remain what is probably the most important tool the government has to strengthen Spain’s role in the global technological field. This is the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT)popularly known as “Sepi Digital”.

As Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, Hernando will be the chairman of the board of governors of this newly created public commercial entity. SETT began its journey with a budget of almost 20 billion euros in financial instruments, whether loans, grants or capital investments.

He SETT’s flagship project is Chip Loss Managementthe largest of the 12 strategic projects promoted by the government. Its objective is to promote an industrial ecosystem in Spain throughout the semiconductor value chain, for which more than 12 billion of European funds will be allocated.

At its first meeting at the end of July, the SETT board of directors has already gave the green light to two design and technology projects involved in the manufacture of semiconductors. Projects that will involve a public investment of nearly 400 million euros.

Beforehand, this organization will have just over two years to attract new projects promoting a semiconductor ecosystem in Spain. However, the possibility of a manufacturer setting up a large chip factory in our country seems, for the time being, somewhat remote.

In addition to the Chip Loss, SETT will manage the Plan Spain, Audiovisual Center of Europe. In fact, this same weekend, Oscar Lopez confirmed Within the framework of the San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF), the sector will have an additional 1.5 billion in financial instruments in a new phase of this plan.

The third pillar with which “Sepi Digital” was born is the management of the 4 billion euros from the Next Tech Fundan instrument designed to promote public investment in technological projects.

Infrastructure

Another of the first measures that Hernando and his team will have to adopt is the resolution of the various assistance programs for the deployment of new generation networks currently underwaySpecifically, in the coming months, the winners of the second call for UNICO 5G Redes Activas, with a budget of almost 90 million euros, will be announced.

Also The call for U 2024 will be closedNICO Broadband. This program has a budget of 25 million euros and is launched with the aim of connecting 200,000 additional homes and businesses to fiber optics throughout the country.

In terms of technological infrastructure, González Veracruz leaves it to Hernando to regulate both submarine cables and data centersso that its implementation is done in an orderly and sustainable manner. Also to promote the development of the cloud and the edgetwo key technologies for the digital transformation process.

Beyond our borders, Hernando will have to define and defend Spain’s position in the future digital networks law that the European Commission (EC) should launch during this legislature and in which aspects of the single market or the contribution of the Great technology on the financing of networks, a debate called just part.