Panama adopts DVB-T
19 May 2009
Geneva – 19 May 2009 – On 12 May, the President of the Republic of Panama, Martin Torrijos Espino, signed a national executive decree adopting DVB-T as Panama´s digital terrestrial television standard.
The decree states that this decision brings added flexibility and opportunities to radio and television broadcasters, and to consumers, by exploiting the socio-economic, technical and regulatory advantages.
This announcement joins previous decisions made by Uruguay (2007) and Colombia (2008), with all three countries concluding that DVB-T is the best digital terrestrial television standard.
The decision to adopt DVB-T in Panama was taken after in-depth analysis and rigorous testing of all the world’s digital television standards. A National Technical Committee created in 2007, consisting of 25 national experts from diverse sectors, conducted studies, analyses and tests related to the technical, social, economic and regulatory aspects of existing standards. Its aim was to promote and protect the investments made in the sector, fair competition and improvement of the quality of each service.
Manuel Troitiño, President of the Technical Committee, said “This decision demonstrates that Panama wants to join the wider broadcast community in the world, whilst maintaining flexibility and the ability to optimise broadcasting options for Panama. DVB is rather superior to other standards in this respect. Panama´s National Public Services Authority has been mandated to make the necessary arrangements to migrate to digital terrestrial television in less than 18 months”.
Peter Siebert, Executive Director of the DVB Project, commented: “DVB welcomes this momentous decision by Panama and is looking forward to working with the country’s stakeholders and industry as they make the move to digital TV. By choosing DVB-T, Panama joins a growing worldwide DVB community that includes fellow Latin American countries Uruguay and Colombia, benefiting from economies of scale and bringing the advantages of digital television to all. DVB offers the widest portfolio of standards to suit each country´s needs.”
Phil Laven, Chairman of DVB Project, stressed that “As Panama chooses DVB-T, other Latin American countries are considering their digital television futures. DVB continues to grow from strength to strength around the world, with more than 240 million DVB receivers currently in use. DVB provides an ideal toolbox for broadcasters and network operators as they embrace convergence and enter the digital age.”
