Kominfo Starts The Transition Stage Of Analog To Digital Television Broadcasting Until 2022

LUSTRATION / UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) will start the analog switch off or ASO stage this year. This process will take place in stages and is targeted for completion on November 2, 2022.

"The ASO stage is carried out in five stages based on the region, in which the entire time limit does not exceed November 2, 2022, at 24.00 WIB," wrote Kominfo in a press release, Sunday, June 6.

The stages of stopping analog television broadcasts are regulated in the Minister of Communication and Informatics Regulation Number 6 of 2021 concerning Broadcasting.

In the regulation, it is stated that Phase I is no later than August 17, 2021 in the broadcast areas of Aceh 1, Riau Islands 1, Banten 1, East Kalimantan 1, North Kalimantan 1 and North Kalimantan 3.

Phase II of the analog switch off will be carried out no later than December 31, 2021, for 20 broadcast areas including West Java 4, West Java 7, Aceh 2, Aceh 4, Riau 4, East Java 5 and East Nusa Tenggara 3.

Phase III is no later than March 31, 2022, while Phase IV is no later than August 17, 2022 and Phase V is no later than November 2, 2022.

The cessation of analog broadcasts in an area must be carried out simultaneously by all television stations in the area for the convenience of the public, they only need to watch television broadcasts from one type of reception.

To watch digital television broadcasts, you need a television set that can receive digital broadcasts. If you use an ordinary or analog television, people can install a DVBT2 set top box that is sold in the market.

ASO will be carried out in stages based on regional readiness. Kominfo sees that there are four factors that underlie the policy, namely general practices that occur in the world, input from broadcasters, considerations of industrial readiness and limitations of radio frequency spectrum.

Frequency limitation is an important factor so that analog broadcasting is phased out gradually. The government is currently still structuring the frequency spectrum which is currently used for analog broadcasts.

After the migration of analog television broadcasts to digital, after November 2022, there will be no analog television broadcasts. Thus, analog television sets can no longer capture television broadcasts if they do not use STB.

Currently, Indonesia runs simulcast broadcasts or analog and digital television broadcasts simultaneously.