The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology continues to socialize the program for switching analog TV to digital TV. Starting tomorrow, April 30, 2022, at 24.00, analog TV broadcasts will begin to be turned off gradually in some areas.
Phase I of the permanent cessation of analog TV began in three broadcast areas, eight districts/cities in Riau Province, Bengkalis Regency, Dumai City, and Meranti.
“According to the schedule set by the Ministry of Communication and Information, the permanent suspension of analog TV broadcasts will begin on April 30, 2022, at 24:00 or tomorrow night,” said Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate, at a press conference, Friday (29/4/2022).
The second phase will be carried out in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region in three regencies, namely, North Central Timor Regency, Belu Regency, and Malacca Regency, as well as the West Papua broadcast area in Sorong City and Sorong Regency.
Plate asked people whose televisions cannot receive digital broadcasts to immediately use the Set-Top Box (STB).
Meanwhile, for the poor, the STB and its connectors were prepared by LPP TVRI and six LPS, namely MNC Group, Media Group, SCM Group, Viva Group, TransMedia Group, and RTV Group, and Nusantara TV.
If you are not sure why you should switch to digital broadcasting, there are various benefits when broadcasting analog television to digital. According to the Special Staff of the Minister of Communication and Information, Rosarita Niken Widiastuti, one of them is frequency efficiency.
“Analog TV broadcasting is technologically less sophisticated than digital TV. It is more important than that for frequency efficiency. Because analog TV broadcasts, for example, TVRI, one TVRI requires one frequency. Meanwhile, the frequency cannot be increased, and [if] Indonesia has 700 TV stations, means that it requires 700 frequencies”.
The frequency has run out, which is why there are many blank spot areas because there is nothing to expand. So the frequency needs to be rearranged to expand internet usage.
With digital TV, frequency usage is much more efficient. He gave an example that one frequency can be used for 6-12 televisions.
Furthermore, the government has prepared a migration program for analog TV broadcasts to digital starting this month. To enjoy digital TV broadcasts, people don’t need to replace the television, just use a tool called a set-top box (STB) or decoder.
The Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) revealed that STB will be given free of charge to the underprivileged.
“For poor households, but have tube TVs, old TVs that are not ready to go digital, then they will get assistance. Especially in areas where analog switch-off will occur,” said Expert Staff of the Minister of Communication and Information for Legal Affairs Henri Subiakto.
The condition is that it must be listed in the Ministry of Social Welfare Integrated List (DTKS). For this reason, Henri encourages the community to be proactive by checking DTKS data.
The public can register for social assistance online by first downloading the Check Bansos application on the PlayStore.
In the Check Bansos application, you can select the menu list of proposals. From the list of proposals, those whose names are already registered with the DTKS can register themselves.
Then on the proposal list menu, select the add proposal menu. With NIK, KTP, and KK the system will validate and match the data whether it is appropriate or not.
“If your name has been validated, then you can choose the type of social assistance to be submitted. One of them is the provision of free STB tools,” he explained.
The free STB will be distributed according to the plan to stop analog TV broadcasts or Analog Switch Off (ASO). The first stage of sharing and installing the device starts from March 15 to April 30, 2022.
