UK Digital Switch Over on track

Executives from two of the bodies responsible for overseeing and implementing the UK’s digital switchover have confirmed that the mammoth project is going according to plan, reports advanced-television.com.
Peter Hughes, Broadcast Director for Digital UK, the organisation established in 2005 to lead the implementation of digital switchover (DSO), said the major challenge in the process is maintaining existing services. “The plan is to replicate the coverage of the analogue network whilst minimising viewer disruption. This will clear fourteen UHF channels for future use.”
“The programme is on track and within budget,” revealed Peter Heslop, DSO Programme Director for Arqiva, the transmission provider for all UK terrestrial TV services and as such, responsible for implementing the DSO. “We cannot be early or late,” he admitted. The programme had remained on track despite the last three summers being among the wettest on record. The process is taking place on a progressive region by region basis and 1,154 sites have to be upgraded. The DSO started in 2008 and will be completed in 2012.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 28th June 2010