Azerbaijan will switch to digital television three years ahead of time, in 2012, the communications minister said yesterday. Ali Abbasov was speaking at an expanded session of the Cabinet of Ministers, which looked at Azerbaijan’s socioeconomic development in 2009.
Sixty-two new radio and television transmitters were installed and satellite and cable television, radio and Internet broadcast services were expanded in Azerbaijan in 2009, Mr Abbasov said. The minister added that the quality of broadcasts had been improved in the border regions. Broadcasting in these areas is supervised by a commission of specialists from different ministries and departments, which this year will be joined by the State Border Service.
“ATV International, the first Azerbaijani international television channel, started broadcasting via TurkSat in September 2009 and via Europe’s Hotbird on 15 January 2010,” Abbasov said.
“The trial broadcast of digital TV in Baku and Absheron was an important event last year,” he continued. “The reason for this was a recommendation of the International Telecommunication Union to transfer to digital television and radio broadcasting and abandon analogue broadcasts worldwide by 2015. Under the plan and the investment project we have submitted to the cabinet, Azerbaijan will transfer to digital television three years ahead of time, in 2012.”
(Source: news.az)
