§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to announce the results of his consideration of the results of the recent consultation about the future of Channel 5 national television channel; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrookeThe Government have considered whether it would be possible both to proceed with an analogue Channel 5 service and to provide sufficient frequencies for digital terrestrial television services. I am writing today to the chairman of the Independent Television Commission to tell him of the Government's decisions.
The Radiocommunications Agency has examined a range of options, and has been helped by receiving technical proposals from a number of organisations, including the Independent Television Commission, National Transcommunications Ltd. and the BBC.
As a result, the Government have concluded that they should amend the current assignment of frequencies to the Independent Television Commission, for the provision of Channel 5. Frequency channel 37, and a number of other frequencies will now form the basis of an analogue Channel 5 service giving coverage of about 60 per cent. of the population. It would be open to a successful applicant for the licence to simulcast the service digitally to at least 80 per cent. and possibly over 90 per cent. of the population, when the Commission has new powers to license digital terrestrial television services.
In addition to the analogue Channel 5, as many as 12 digital terrestrial television services could be provided: up to four would be broadcast as a single frequency network, using frequency channel 35, with coverage of more than 95 per cent. of the population; an interleaved network of up to four more services could have 90 to 95 per cent. coverage, and there could be up to four more interleaved services with 80 per cent. coverage. Regional variations would be possible on the interleaved services, but not for the single frequency network.
Digital terrestrial television would provide new and enhanced services for audiences, as well as opportunities for programme-makers, broadcasters, advertisements and the manufacturers of transmitting and receiving equipment. The frequency allocations for both Channel 5 and the digital television services will need international clearance with neighbouring countries. Technical standards for digital television in Europe are already under consideration.
No decisions have been made about the allocation of the frequencies for digital terrestrial television to either the BBC or the Independent Television Commission, but the Government's plans allow both for the introduction of new services and for the four existing analogue services to be simulcast digitally for some years. This will encourage people to buy new digital receiving equipment. If sufficient numbers of people move over to digital equipment, it may be possible, after a transitional period of perhaps 15 years, for television signals to be transmitted in digital format only. This would allow the spectrum currently used for analogue transmission to be put to other uses. If used for mobile communications, this spectrum could support an annual level of economic activity equivalent to £5 billion in today's money.
The Government believe that this plan will create greater choice and diversity for viewers by combining the 707W advantages of an increased number of television services, initially through Channel 5, with opportunities for new and enhanced services using digital transmission.