On the Verge of Switching to Digital Television

The National Telecommunications Commission is the implementing agency for the transition of broadcast systems from old analog to digital broadcasts which will be fully implemented soon. The Philippines has officially adopted the Japanese standard's ISDB-T technology for the said transition.

Major television stations in the Philippines are now starting to upgrade their broadcast systems from analog to digital terrestrial television broadcasts (DTTB) to comply with the standards and technological requirements set by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).



In December 2014, the NTC released its implementing guidelines regarding an order issued that all broadcast companies in the Philippines must adopt the Japanese standard's ISDB-T technology for their digital TV broadcasts. The commission's initiatives seek to implement the transition from analog to digital in the earliest practicable time possible.

ABS-CBN, the largest multimedia conglomerate in the Philippines, will invest P500 million for the expansion of its digital terrestrial television service in the Philippines which will be rolled out in key cities in Visayas and Mindanao. This investment will be used for the conversion of its transmitters in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro from analog to digital. Furthermore, the network is slated to upgrade its existing analog transmitter in Quezon City for the strengthening of its DTT service, as well as new sites in Makati, Mandaluyong, Guiguinto in Bulacan, and Silang in Cavite.

TV5, on the other hand, is seeking approval from the National Telecommunications Commission for the conversion of its UHF transmission facilities in different areas in the country from analog to digital. It claims that it is technically qualified to continue the service of its UHF channels for the digital TV broadcasts.

The road to a crystal-clear television viewing experience may be long, but these recent developments indicate that there will be more things to come before the transition from analog to digital TV broadcasts becomes visible to more than 80 percent of Filipino viewing households who are still relying on an antenna to watch their favorite shows on television.