DVB-T Endorsed as ASEAN DTT standard
Ministers endorsed DVB-T as the standard for the ASEAN member nations at the Ninth Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) held in Jakarta Indonesia during May 2007.
ASEAN representatives from member countries, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were all present at the conference to share the endorsement.
According to the joint media statement “ The Ministers noted that the DVB-T standard was the most commonly adopted international DTV standard and would offer the most advantages in terms of economies of scale, ease of adoption and versatility for multiple platforms”.
The common standard is expected to make equipment, such as set-top-boxes and DTV receivers more affordable throughout the region. The analogue switch off date is likely to be 2015.
Source: Joint Media Statement
Item added: 5th June 2007

More than 50 delegates comprising policy makers, regulators and broadcasters from all ten ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat attended the 4th ADB Meeting. 

“The adoption of a common standard has very positive implications for ASEAN. For a start, this decision will facilitate the ADB Meeting’s goal of a common digital Set Top Box (STB) for the region,” said Zamani Zakariah, Senior Director, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Chairman of the 4th ADB Meeting.

With the economies of scale able to be achieved by having a common broadcasting standard and a common STB, consumers in this region are expected to able to enjoy digital television at very affordable prices. The ASEAN nations together represent a population of more than 500 million people.