Ukraine has effectively put back its transition digital broadcasting to April-May 2019.
In a statement published by the National Council, the regulator says that its executive secretary Oleksandr Ilyashenko explained that the draft analogue shutdown plan was developed in November 2017. Although the stages for its implementation were due to begin at the end of last year, by earlier this month it had become clear that no actions were being taken. The main reason for this was that the plan had not been approved by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers.
As a result, it has been decided to amend the plan. As previously envisaged, switch-off will involve a three-stage process. The first will be in a specific area this August, second throughout the country, with some exceptions including Ukraine’s First Channel, local broadcasters and analogue channels in the ATO territory and some border areas in January 2019, and the third 3-4 months later.
However, Ilyashenko also said that the changes to the plan still have to be approved by the Ukrainian government.
