Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones

The Plenary of the IFT agrees that the termination of analog signals on open television in Tijuana will be on March 26^th, 2015

• The SCT gave to the Institute the information that proves that a penetration level ofsignal receivers or able decoders for receiving digital broadcasts in 90% or more has been reached on the low-income households defined by SEDESOL in each coverage area

• With this, the IFT determined that it is appropriate to conclude with the transmission of analog signals of six television stations in this city of Baja California

• The concessionaires of broadcasted TV service operate already in digital format in the coverage areas in which the stations operate

On February 23 of this year, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT) sent to the Federal Telecommunications Institute (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) the information on the penetration of able catchers to receive digital transmissions in low-income households, which were defined by the Ministry of Social Development (Secretaría de Desarrollo Social, SEDESOL) in the coverage areas of different stations of broadcast television serving in Mexicali, Baja California.

The information received by the SCT comprise:

i) The number of low-income households defined by Sedesol defined by each television broadcast station coverage area;

ii) The number of poor households defined by Sedesol in which there have been delivered able catchers to receive digital transmissions by coverage area of each television broadcast station; and,

iii) The percentage of penetration with suitable receivers for receiving digital broadcasts in low-income households defined by Sedesol in every area of coverage of each television broadcast station.

PENETRATION BY TV STATION

As provided in Nineteen Transitory Article of the Decree which was issued the Federal Telecommunication and Broadcasting Law, the Federal Telecommunications Institute shall conclude the transmission of broadcast analog television signals no later than December 31st of 2015, by area of coverage, once reached, in the appropriate area, a level penetration of 90% of low-income households defined by SEDESOL, with receivers or decoders capable of receiving digital signals.

For its part, Article 18th of the Transition to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Policy provides that corresponds to the Plenary of IFT to solve the appropriate to fix the termination of analog transmissions, once the SCT to provide information showing that it has reached a penetration level with receivers or decoders capable of receiving digital broadcasts in 90% or more of the low-income households defined by SEDESOL in each coverage area.

To determine the conclusion of the analog signals is also necessary that the entire area of corresponding coverage and digital signals are transmitted. Once meet both assumptions, the IFT determine the date and time of the termination of analogue transmissions appropriate, which shall be considered a working day between the date of determination and the accomplishment of this, a period of at least 4 weeks, so that during this period can inform the public about the transition to digital television.

In this regard, the IFT confirmed that in each one of said stations transmitting in Mexicali Baja California, broadcast digital television transmissions are performed under the parameters authorized. Therefore, in an extraordinary meeting held today, the IFT Plenary determined that they credited the existing conditions provided in the actual legal framework.

According to the resolution of the Plenary, broadcast television stations with call distinctive XHAQTV, XHBC-TV, XHBM-TV, XHEXT-TV, XHMEE-TV and XHMEX-TV in Mexicali, Baja California, shall cease permanently their analog transmissions at 00:00 am on March 26th of 2015.

From now on, the IFT and concessionaires should inform the population of Mexicali on the date and certain time for completion of analog transmissions of said stations, of accordance with the provisions of the TDT Policy.

The IFT will continue its outreach campaign in different media, in order to keep people informed about the conclusion of analogue transmissions in the country.

The transition to digital terrestrial television involves a process of modernization in this service, various benefits to the population as, for example, receiving images and sound more fidelity and / or resolution that currently allow analog broadcasts and access wider range of content, through multiprogramming, among others.