Residents must check whether the television sets at their homes are digital television
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communications and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate called on residents to check and make requisite preparations to ensure television sets at their homes were suitable for receiving terrestrial broadcasts ahead of the analog switch-off (ASO).

"Residents must check whether the television sets at their homes are digital television," Plate stated here, Tuesday.

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The minister remarked that residents with digital television could directly receive digital broadcasting without any supporting device, while a set-top box would be required for residents whose television units were not digital televisions.

To expand digital broadcast access to residents, the government and multiplexing operators are distributing free set-top boxes for poorer residents, the minister noted.

"The distribution of (free) set-top box is ongoing, including by multiplexing operators," Plate remarked.

Plate affirmed that the ministry had distributed set-top boxes to over 90 percent of eligible recipients in the Greater Jakarta region.

Residents ineligible for receiving free set-top boxes from the authority could purchase their own unit to ensure their television can receive digital broadcasting, he remarked.

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"The World Cup is approaching soon, and (with digital television), you can watch television shows with better quality," the minister remarked.

Plate stated that the terrestrial television service is free of charge and is different from cable television that requires a fee for access.

Analog television broadcast in Indonesia is expected to end by November 2, 2022, and the government and the Indonesian Private Televisions Association have expedited their efforts to promote digital television and distribute set-top box units for eligible recipients.

According to the ministry, some 596 out of the 693 institutions holding analogue broadcast licences have migrated their system to the digital system. Moreover, digital broadcast infrastructure has been available in 95 out of the 112 national broadcast regions.


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Translator: Natisha A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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