"The cooperation will improve investment partnership between Indonesia and China in the field of broadcasting and telecommunication," said Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, after opening "Broadcast Multimedia Show 2012" at Balai Kartini on Monday.
According to Tifatul, the cooperation with China in digital TV development is a follow-up of an agreement between the two countries, which was signed in 2010 during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s visit to China.
As per the cooperation agreement, China will provide technology and investment capital to expand the broadcast network in Indonesia.
Based on a decision made by the members of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), all countries should migrate to digital TV by June 2015, but Indonesia has been allowed to do so by 2018.
However, all countries, including Indonesia, were free to choose their digital broadcasting technology, Tifatul explained.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Vice Director of Division of Audiovisual of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Zhou Haiyan, expressed his readiness to support the digital TV cooperation with Indonesia.
"The People`s Republic of China and Indonesia are the world`s most populous countries and, therefore, they have similar requirements in terms of the implementation of digital television network," Zhou said.
He pointed out the implementation of digital TV in China in 2011 reached 1.2 billion households, or 56 percent of the total population of the country.
"We have also distributed 1.4 billion sets of set-top box decoders and 1.6 billion transmitters," Zhou said.
Therefore, he noted, China would like to share its broadcasting technology, products, and services with Indonesia.
"In 2018 we hope that 100 percent of the population in Indonesia and the People`s Republic of China will be connected with digital TV broadcast," Zhou added.
(O001/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
