ITU marks DSO deadline
June 17, 2015
By Colin Mann
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has noted the arrival of the June 17th deadline for switching off analogue television broadcasting in the UHF band set by ITU Member States at the Regional Radiocommunication Conference in 2006, despite the process being incomplete in many territories.
The deadline for the switchover from analogue to DTT, set at 00:01 UTC on June 17th 2015, heralds the development of ‘all-digital’ terrestrial broadcast services for sound and television for 119 countries belonging to ITU Region-1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia) and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The new digital GE06 Plan provides not only new possibilities for structured development of digital terrestrial broadcasting but also sufficient flexibilities for adaptation to the changing telecommunication environment.
“Today, June 17th, marks a historic landmark in the transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “The process, which began in June 2006, has re-envisioned the way the world watches and interacts with TV and opened the way for new innovations and developments in the broadcast industry.”
Territories worldwide where the process is ongoing include: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Territories where the process is yet to start, according to the ITU include: Armenia, Bangladesh, Belize, Central African Rep., Comoros (Union of the), Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Turkey.
Territories where the status is unknown include: Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Dem. People’s Rep. of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao P.D.R., Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal (Republic of), Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.
When complete, these administrations will join the following countries to have completed ASO: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda (Republic of), Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican.