§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of relay stations in Wales which will require conversion to deliver a comprehensive digital terrestrial service; and what estimate he has made of the cost of conversion. [123287]
§ Janet AndersonThe present digital terrestrial television transmitter network comprises 81 transmitter sites, of which nine are located in Wales. The Government will ensure that all viewers in Wales who presently receive analogue television will be able to receive the main free-to-air channels digitally, before the analogue transmissions are fully switched to digital. The ITC, BBC and the digital broadcasters are planning jointly the development of digital terrestrial television coverage across the UK. However, the joint project has not estimated how many analogue transmitters would have to be converted, or the associated cost, to replicate analogue terrestrial coverage in Wales or elsewhere in the UK.