In March, TEO LT, AB Group of companies (hereinafter - TEO), an integrated telecommunication, IT and TV services provider, launched the provision of the digital terrestrial television service Digital GALA (Skaitmeninė GALA), which will enable using the highest-quality television services almost in the whole of Lithuania. The new service's users will have the possibility to watch 33 popular TV channels, and from July the number of available channels will be increased up to 40, including 12 Lithuanian channels, 11 channels in the Russian language, and also top global TV channels for movie, music, sports and news lovers as well as 3 special channels for children. The monthly fee for Digital GALA is 29 litas per month. All TEO customers, who order Digital GALA or Interactive GALA (Interaktyvioji GALA) by the end of May, will use it for free for the first one year. According to Nerijus Ivanauskas, Chief Marketing Officer of TEO, the new service of TEO will accelerate the development of digital TV in Lithuania. “We are sure that by presenting the convenient and technologically modern service and especially attractive price offers we will encourage the majority of the country's residents to start using digital television services”, - N. Ivanauskas said. The first ones to express interest in the Digital GALA service should be half a million households in the suburbs and more remotely located areas, where it has not been possible to choose from among several multi-channel TV service providers. It is forecasted that in 2009 about 60 per cent households will use digital television services all over Europe. Analogue television broadcasting was already ceased in Finland and Sweden (in 2007). In 2009 analogue TV broadcasting will be switched off in Norway and Denmark. In the remaining countries - as well as in Lithuania - as required by the European Commission, analogue television broadcasting will be switched off by 2012. In the five biggest cities of Lithuania TEO has already installed the network of the transmitters ensuring digital terrestrial broadcasts and this network makes digital TV channels available to 75-80 per cent residents of Lithuania. Until the end of this year, the Company will continue developing this network until the DVB-T signal becomes available to at least 95 per cent of the territory of Lithuania. The Digital GALA service is provided to TEO Group on behalf of Nacionalinė Skaitmeninė Televizija, a company belonging to TEO Group. This company has two licences providing the right to re-broadcast television channels over digital terrestrial television (DVB-T) networks. Starting from October 2006, TEO also provides Internet technologies-based (IPTV) digital television Interactive GALA services to residential customers. This service is intended for customers who want more interactivity and additional services - Video-On-Demand, e-mail or Internet on a TV screen. At present, the Interactive GALA service is used by more than 20 thousand TEO customers. Antanas Bubnelis, Press Officer, tel. +370 5 236 7537.