"Soon, (after) November 2 (2022), there will be no analog television broadcasts," Director of Broadcasting at the ministry Geryantika Kurnia highlighted during a webinar on “Technical Guidance on the Use of Set-Top Boxes Following ASO Policy in North Kalimantan Province” on Thursday.
The ASO is scheduled to take place no later than November 2, following which, Indonesia will only broadcast digital terrestrial television.
Digital broadcasts can only run on sets that can capture digital signals, though this does not mean that people need to buy new television sets to watch them.
Older television models can capture digital broadcasts if they are connected to a set-top box. A set-top box converts digital transmissions, enabling analog television sets to display sounds and images from digital broadcasts.
Set-top box kits are currently being sold at electronics stores, including online marketplaces. While their prices vary, the rate starts from Rp150 thousand.
Kurnia also urged everyone to buy a set-top box to watch free-to-air or terrestrial broadcasts, excluding broadcasts from satellite dishes or cable television services.
The government and multiplexing organizers have prepared subsidies in the form of free set-top boxes for the poor who are registered in the Social Welfare Integrated Data of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The latest data from the Communication and Informatics Ministry shows that of the 112 broadcast service areas that will be affected by the ASO policy, as many as 98 service areas already have digital broadcast infrastructure in place.
People residing in the areas can check whether their residences have been included in the digital broadcast coverage.
Kurnia said that TVRI, as the provider of multiplexing, is still building the digital broadcast infrastructure in 14 service areas. The work at 12 sites is expected to be completed soon, while the infrastructure at 2 other sites is expected to be completed by November 2.
Translator: Natisha A, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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