Work on UK digital switchover begins in Border
Work on the UK’s switchover to all-digital terrestrial broadcasting started in Caldbeck today with construction starting on a 337m high mast for the Border region, which will be the first area to make the switch, in 2008. A second mast will be built in Selkirk later this year.
Steve Holebrook, managing director at Arqiva – the chosen supplier building the digital infrastructure – said "Digital Switchover is a wide-ranging and complex project and, whilst viewers won’t begin to see the benefits until 2008, the engineering work is now underway."
He seems confident that the eventual freeing up of the analogue spectrum by going all digital (well, apart from the 1.5% of the UK population who don’t seem to be accommodated for) could lead to more new services such as mobile TV and high-definition TV via Freeview.
Only another six years to wait to find out.