U.K. Regulator Ofcom Calls for End of Analog TV by 2012

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 14, 2004 - 4:36am.

London -- Ofcom, the U.K. media and communications watchdog, announced on Tuesday that the switchover to digital TV could happen in some areas of the country as soon as 2007. What's more, Ofcom said that all U.K. broadcasters would have to stop sending analog signals by 2012. The government said the reasoning behind its efforts to make the U.K. the first country in the world with a digital-only TV network was twofold: It wants to free up more of the broadcast spectrum and spur new technologies that will lead to more channels and interactive features, and clearer signals. To date, about one out of every two British households owns a digital TV, meaning that as many as 90 million devices will have to be switched over to digital by Dec. 31, 2012. The regulator has asked for responses to Tuesday's proposal by Oct. 25. U.S. broadcasters face a legal mandate to switch to digital by Dec. 31, 2006, but this directive hinges on 85% of consumers having purchased digital televisions capable of receiving digital signals.
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