Cuban western provinces to stop receiving two analog channels next December

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 27 (ACN) The first stage of partial transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) is expected to be carried out in Cuba between November 30 and December 15, 2021, from which time the Educational and Educational 2 (teleSur) channels in the western provinces will cease to be received by the analog signal.

This process is part of the program designed in the country to install DTT and quit the outdated analog transmission, scheduled to last 10 years (2013-2023), Ana Julia Marine Lopez, deputy head of the communications ministry, told Cubadebate.

Marine Lopez explained that the tense economic situation has forced to redefine the dates and the initially planned way to channel the transition to DTT, so it will be carried out by geographical areas, and not by territories, and the program will be extended until 2024.

She added that this year it will be implemented in the west, by the end of 2022 in the center of the country and in 2023 in the eastern part of the nation.

The deputy minister of communications stated that in order to turn off the educational channels in the western part of the country, efforts have been made to commercialize decoder boxes in these provinces; sales of which should reach 300, 000 between February and November this year.
Also, she noted, more than 19,300 TV sets have been delivered to educational centers in this area of the country to ensure the teleclasses of students, whose transmissions are made mainly by the Educational Channel.

Among the reasons that drive the acceleration towards DTT are technological obsolescence, high energy consumption and the global trend to use digital terrestrial television.

In the case of Cuba, the transition is also necessary due to the need to release the 700 MHz band for the deployment of 4G, because working in the 1800 MHz (in which 4G is currently deployed in the nation), is a high frequency that doubles the 900 required by 3G, which brings with it a disadvantage: it has a lower level of penetration.

To achieve this goal, five new transmitters will be installed, one in Pinar del Río and four in Artemisa, equipment that has already been received and is located in each province.