BATANGAS CITY (PIA) – The implementation is in full swing for the shut off of analog television and transition to digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) in Mega Manila, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in Calabarzon said.
NTC IV-A Regional Director Rolando DS. San Luis points out that while the NTC is eyeing for the analog switch-off (ASO) or the complete shut-off of the analog signal for television sets by the end of 2024, the guidelines have yet to be released.
Once the guidelines are out, the public will be given an additional 60 days from its publication to prepare, the NTC said during an episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on November 19.
“The NTC announced the [analog] shut down by end of the year, but the specific memorandum circular or the guidelines are not yet released. Since it’s already November and if the memorandum is released by December, we will still have full 60 days to be able to use our analog TV or regular TV,” San Luis added.
He clarified that for Calabarzon, the transition will not cover the entire region but limited only to the ‘suburb’ areas or areas adjacent to Metro Manila in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
“We will divide what areas are included in Mega Manila, and not the whole Batangas, Laguna or Cavite. If we say Mega Manila, it is only the suburb or parts of the provinces,” the director added.
San Luis acknowledged that households which cannot afford a smart tv or digital box would not have access to information from their regular television sets.
The government, however, is considering the possibility of granting subsidies to vulnerable sectors that are incapable of switching to digital tv.
“In the vulnerable areas or those with no capability [to purchase], we are requesting the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) to submit to us the known [vulnerable] areas to receive vouchers,” San Luis said.
The commission will specify and finalize the support for vulnerable communities once the formal guidelines are released.
According to a report published by the NTC in February 2024, at least 82 percent of TV households in Mega Manila have already shifted to DTTB, while at least 18 percent of the TV households are still on analog TV.
NTC believes that the complete shut-off of analog in favor of digital transmission is in pace with the development in technology, ensures the competitiveness of the country’s broadcast industry, and provides enhanced services to better serve the public.
The country’s DTTB system, the ISDB-T standard, was developed and is in use in Japan was adopted for the Philippine televisions in 2015-2016. Aside from better viewing experience and more programming options, the system is also equipped with an early warning broadcast system (EWBS), a feature that the government may use to alert citizens in times of calamities. (CH/PIA-Laguna)
The Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas is a weekly media forum program of the Philippine Information Agency, in partnership with the Presidential Communications Office, highlighting the programs, projects, and policies of the national government under the Bagong Pilipinas governance agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration.
