Digital TV progress in China

China is to digitise cable TV in four stages, according to SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television).
Stage one will digitise all the major cities in the eastern and western parts of the country as well as provincial capitals in the centre of China by the end of 2005.
The second stage, to be completed by 2008, will digitise the remaining cities in the eastern parts and most in the western part of the country. The third stage will cover all cities defined as above country level and most counties in the middle and western areas. The final fourth stage will end in 2015 when the whole of western part of the country can connect to digital cable. The plan also mentions that China will begin direct to home satellite broadcasting in 2006 and stop analogue TV broadcasts in 2015. Terrestrial digital TV broadcasting is set to start by 2008 but China still has to decide whether to use its own home grown system or one of the other world-wide standards.
Main Source: advanced television.com, 23rd August 2005