ITU marks DSO deadline

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) took note of the deadline for switching off analogue television broadcasting in the UHF band set by ITU Member States at the Regional Radio communication 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. Many countries have not been able to meet the deadline since they have not yet switched to digital.

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.”