2024-10-03 14:02:10
LA PAZ, (Xinhua) – The analog blackout in Bolivia, which was originally scheduled to start in November of this year and be completed in 2025, has been postponed until May 2030, reported the Minister of Public Works, Edgar Montaño, next Wednesday.
The decision, formalized by supreme decree, establishes a new schedule divided into three phases to complete the transition to digital television throughout the South American country.
In the first phase, the departments of the central axis – La Paz (west), Cochabamba (center) and Santa Cruz (east) -, together with several intermediate cities, will be the first to switch to the digital signal in May 2026. In the second phase, the transfer will include regions with populations of more than 40,000 inhabitants, scheduled for May 2028 and, finally, in the third phase, the mass analog separation will reach rural and remote areas in May 2030.
The Minister explained that the decision to extend the deadline is based on a study carried out in the main cities of the country, which showed that many homes still depend on analogue televisions.
Montaño indicated that the change in the calendar was agreed with the main television channels in Bolivia, whose representatives expressed their concern about the impact of the accelerated transition, especially in rural areas and areas with less economic development on them.
The transition to digital TV is essential to improve image and sound quality, to offer more channel choices and interactive services, but it still faces the challenge of low penetration of digital TVs in the poorest homes.
According to the Authority for the Supervision and Regulation of Telecommunications and Transport (ATT), as of 2021, around 40 percent of Bolivian households still did not have digital televisions, underscoring the need for a longer transition period.
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