Date of moving to digital broadcasting system changes
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, June 17
The press secretary of National Communications Commission of Georgia Khatia Kurashvili informed that the process of moving from analog to digital broadcasting system may start on July 1, 2015 instead of June 17, 2015.
The secretary stated that the change of date was caused by the natural disasters, which took place in Tbilisi several days ago and destroyed parts of city and claimed the lives a number of people.
“The precise information will be announced in the future, after the government adopts the resolution,” she said.
The information was confirmed by Vice Premier and Minister of Economics and Sustainable Development, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
“The whole infrastructure has been designed and the country is ready to switch to digital broadcasting, but due to the natural disasters in the capital, we decided not to create additional discomfort to our population, which has already suffered great stress,” Kvirikashvili stated.
It should be noted that the transition to a digital broadcasting system is an international obligation.
According to the agreement made with International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Georgia and all its neighbouring countries agreed to move from analog to digital broadcasting from June 17, 2015.
Moving to a digital broadcasting system enables countries to make more efficient use of frequencies and provides users with better sounds and images, which means that all channels will be of HD quality.
In order to show the image on your TV set in 2015, you may need to buy a special device a called set top box, which will catch the signal, or you may need to change your TV-set. However, it is possible to get a digital signal only by changing the settings in your TV, if it meets the necessary standards.
Socially vulnerable people will get set top boxes for free but for ordinary citizens, their price varies from 55 to 100 Gel and they are available in technical shops.
According to the Head of Digital Broadcasting Agency Nino Chubinidze, the process is large-scale and of state-importance reform.
