The Irish regulatory authority ComReg has today designated an operator with Significant Market Power (SMP) on two defined wholesale broadcast transmission markets.

More specificially, it concerns the company RTE Transmission Network Limited, and the market is defined (departing from Market 18 of the European Commission's Recommendation) as:

1. "wholesale market for radio broadcasting transmission services on national analogue terrestrial networks"
2. "wholesale market for television broadcasting transmission services on national analogue terrestrial networks"

ComReg excluded cable and satellite from the market analysis, by considering that the market (combining cable and satellite in a single market) tends towards effective competition.

The regulatory obligations ("remedies") to be imposed on RTE Transmission Network Limited have not been finalised, and will be subject to further consultation, but are most likely to be obligations of transparency, non-discrimination and accounting separation.

The SMP designation is valid as of today, and its full text can be accessed by clicking here.