Belarus to begin phased analogue shutdown this summer

Belarus will begin a phased shutdown of analogue TV in August, according to Belarusian Broadcasting Centre director Andrei Kudyrko.

Speaking at a press conference in Minsk, Kudyrko said that the switch-off process would begin in Osipovichi in the Mogilev region in the eastern part of the country. This would be followed by the shutdown of further transmitters in the Zhlobin region in south-eastern Belarus, and the Mogilev region by December this year, he told local press.

Kudyrko said that digital TV transmissions currently covered just over 95% of the country’s population, which would be increased to 97.1% through the introduction of 11 new digital transmitters this year.

The Belarusian government has also reportedly announced plans to launch digital versions of regional stations using low power transmissions on synchronous frequencies, and to launch a new public broadcast channel, Belarus 3, that will be part of the country’s first digital multiplex, which currently includes seven channels.