Kurt Pauwels, managing director of Belgian direct-to-home (DTH) provider TV Vlaanderen believes 2006 will be a “breakthrough” year for digital television in the country. The new DTH operator launched digital television services earlier this month and will complete with cable operator Telenet, the market leader, as well as Belgacom.

“The market was not ready a few years ago,” Pauwels said. “The market is now ready. Belgacom have come on the market. Telenet is much more aggressive. We are launching a new product. People are buying en masse flat screen TVs. But, having an analog signal with a flat screen TV is not a good combination. So, customers are assessing digital options.”

An interview with Kurt Pauwels can be found in the Jan. 23 issue of Satellite News. For more information about subscribing to Access Intelligence’s satellite newsletters, check out our Web site at https://www.satellitetoday.com