Up to 95 percent of Da Nang residents have been able to watch digitalised television programmes from November 1, according to the city’s Department of Information and Telecommunication.
All television programmes in the city are now broadcasted digitally using the Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial (DVB-T2) standard, the department said.
Huynh Hung, Director of the Da Nang Radio and Television Station (DRT), said the station would use Vietnam Television (VTV)’s infrastructure to implement terrestrial digitalised television broadcasts in the city.
The VTV is expected to review, revise and upgrade the terrestrial digital broadcast system in order to ensure the coverage area and service quality for the entire central city, especially mountainous areas where waves are often weak.
Earlier, the ‘Digitalisation of Vietnam Television’ project’s Steering Committee coordinated with the municipal People’s Committee to pilot the terrestrial digitalised television broadcast in Da Nang ahead of the deadline for ceasing analogue broadcasts in municipalities.
The VTV and DRT have already been instructed to broadcast their programmes digitally in the city and four localities in the north of Quang Nam, including Hoi An city, Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen and Dai Loc districts.
The Ministry of Information and Telecommunication provided receiving boxes to impoverished and nearly-impoverished households under national programmes in Da Nang and the four localities affected by the end of analogue broadcasts.
Da Nang also assisted its poor families with receivers under its own programme.
According to the Prime Minister’s decision, the digitalised terrestrial television and broadcast project is implemented in four stages: ceasing terrestrial analogue broadcast coverage in five municipalities before December 31, 2015; in 26 provinces that are close to four municipalities before December 31, 2016; in 18 provinces delta and mid-land provinces before December 31, 2018; and remaining remote provinces before December 31, 2020.
Da Nang is the first locality in Vietnam and the ASEAN region to complete the digitalisation of terrestrial television broadcasts.-VNA