Advanced Television

Portuguese to evaluate DTT implementation

August 9, 2011

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

The Portuguese Government will meet on September 8th with the various stakeholders involved in the implementation of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).

According to the Minister for Social Communications, Miguel Relvas, taking part in the meeting will be the three national broadcasters (RTP, SIC and TVI), the telecommunications sector regulator (Anacom) and the company responsible for the impeentation of DTT (Portugal Telecom.

Relvas also said that a “thorough assessment” of the entire process will be conducted and only then will a final decision be reached.

According to a study released last week by Portuguese consumers association Deco, most of the shops of Portugal Telecom are unable to provide information about the switchover to DTT. There have also been reports that the Portuguese government is considering the postponement of the analogue switch-off, originally planned for April 26th 2012, by six months.

According to original plans, the analogue TV signal in Portugal will be shut down in three phases: on 12 January 2012 the transmitters covering the coastal strip will be switched off, on March 2 it will be the turn of those in the Azores and Madeira, followed by the rest of the country on April 26th.

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