Sweden’s digitisation minister Anders Ygeman has said he wants Com Hem to pause its plans to switch off its remaining analogue customers.
The Tele 2-owned cablenet plans to move 30% of its 1.6 million subscriber base to digital transmissions.
“It is clear that Com Hem could not know that the corona pandemic would coincide with the transition. But the reasonable thing now is that the company postpones the transition until the elderly can really get and receive help at home,” Anders Ygeman told broadcaster TV4.
Sweden began the terrestrial switch over process in 2005, but the loss of terrestrial broadcasts represented just a quarter of the country’s TV households. Basic cable, which has formed an important service over the years, adds an additional dynamic not often found in Western Europe.
A digital basic offer will include SVT1, SVT2, SVT24, SVT Barn, Kunskapskanalen, TV3, TV4, Kanal 5, TV6, Sjuan, TV8, TV9, TV11, ATG Live and local channels alongside Finnish, Danish and Norwegian TV, subject to location.
