In Brief: Britain gets OK for digital switchover
Britain's plan for digital television switchover has won international support, the Office of Communications said Friday.
The country is planning to have almost universal availability of digital terrestrial television, otherwise known as Freeview, by 2012. As broadcast signals from different countries can interfere with one another, it is necessary for nations to agree on international frequency plans to limit such interferences, Ofcom said.
The International Telecommunication Union agreed to allow Britain to use all necessary transmitter sites to deliver public service broadcasting digital terrestrial television channels to 98.5 percent of the population, which is the same proportion that currently receives analog television broadcasting.
"This accelerates the move to all-digital broadcasting," said Ofcom Chief Executive Stephen Carter.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
