Advanced Television

DSO

Mexico’s DSO needs $1 billion

The bill for switching off Mexico’s digital switchover is going to cost more than $1 billion, according to its Federal Telecoms Commission (Cofetel). However, this sum is less than initially anticipated when Cofetel said the overall; bill could be as high as $1.34 billion. Cofetel’s president Mny de Swaan said the bill had come down […]

January 14, 2013

Kenya court stops DSO

Kenya’s high court has ordered that the date for the switch off of the analogue television signal be delayed, preferably until after the March 2013 general election. The Judge said an immediate move to digital would be unfair to Kenyans trying to follow the polls on TV. The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) had wanted […]

January 11, 2013

Digital TV ‘chaos’ in South Africa

Certain pressure groups are complaining that South Africa is rushing to switch off its analogue TV signals too soon. The biggest complaint is that decoder boxes are too expensive for many sectors of the viewing public, and that local businesses are being denied access to the new technology and the jobs which could flow from […]

December 12, 2012By Chris Forrester

Kenya DSO “not constitutional”

Kenya is to switch off its analogue TV signals in and around the capital of Nairobi on December 31st, and has done its best to alert viewers of the change-over to digital. However, the country’s Consumers Federation of Kenya’s (Cofek) says that the planned switch-off will deny TV signals to an estimated viewership of 1.5 […]

December 11, 2012By Chris Forrester

Tanzania will switch to digital on Dec 31st

Tanzania will lead its East African neighbours by being the first to switch off its analogue TV transmissions on December 31st. Generally, African nations are still working slowly towards a 2015 switch-off date. Kenya, for example, is promising to switch off next year after a general election. The PR spokesman of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory […]

November 20, 2012By Chris Forrester

UK MP: Stop 4G ruining Freeview

John Whittingdale, chair of the influential Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee, has warned ministers they are rushing ahead with superfast mobile broadband without fully grasping the consequences for an estimated 2.3 million homes. He said a lack of publicity meant “barely anyone” was aware terrestrial TV signals were at risk, and that in many […]

November 12, 2012

India sets tough digitisation timetable

Phase 1 of India’s switch from analogue cable distribution to digital has not gone well. The four giant ‘metros’, which should have completely converted back in the summer, have seen slippage, delay and deliberate obfuscation in the task. On November 6th India’s government set out the next phase, with an especially tight timetable that it […]

November 7, 2012By Chris Forrester

Cheeky Indian MSOs still in analogue mode

The latest excuse to delay adopting digital TV in some Indian cities is down to Diwali, the Hindu ‘festival of truth and lights’ which this year happens on November 13th. Officially, the cable MSOs in India’s four main cities were required to cease analogue transmissions at midnight back on October 31st. The situation was muddied […]

November 5, 2012By Chris Forrester

Indian analogue TV still available

Despite the threats and bluster from India’s government and industry regulator to switch off analogue TV signals in the nation’s four largest cities, many people can still view analogue cable TV. India’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry had ruled that all analogue transmissions cease at midnight on October 31st in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Chennai’s […]

November 2, 2012By Chris Forrester

India to enforce analogue TV ban

Indian government officials are determined to switch off analogue TV signals on Thursday in the four giant metropolitan cities that ought to have converted to digital TV by October 31st. Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata will see analogue systems go ‘dark’ says India’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry, and officials intend ensuring that transmission rules are […]

October 31, 2012By Chris Forrester