ITC Pessimistic About Digital Switch-Over This Decade

The chief executive of the Independent Television Commission (ITC) said today that he did not expect the switch-over to digital to happen before 2010. Speaking at the Commission’s announcement of its annual report today, Peter Rogers said: “I would love to be surprised and delighted by a digital switch-over happening in less than ten years.”

This statement goes against the Government’s proposed plans for the analogue switch-off. Last year Chris Smith said that the switch-over date from analogue systems would be between 2006 and 2010 (see Chris Smith Sets Out Digital Agenda). The Government stated that digital systems must be both available and affordable to the vast majority of the population before analogue systems can be switched off. The ITC is responsible for extending coverage of digital and today announced plans to increase its current base.

The Commission announced the conclusion of its Genesis Project, a joint planning project set up by the ITC in March 1999 to extend coverage of digital terrestrial television. The first stage of the plan is to extend the current DTT plan to around 200 transmission sites, effectively extending coverage of digital terrestrial television to 750,000 homes, to be completed by 2001.

Greg Bensberg has been appointed to drive forward and accelerate the improvements in DTT coverage being pioneered in the joint project which unites the BBC, NTL, Crown Castle and the ITC.

Independent Television Commission: 020 7306 7743