Aleksey Volin: “Analogue television is taking well-deserved rest in Tatarstan”
Russia has switched from analogue television to digital
Russia has completely switched to digital terrestrial television. On 14 October, analogue television was switched off in the remaining 21 regions of the country. It should be noted that Tatarstan is among the last, fourth wave of the switchover, and in order to say goodbye to the analogue TV, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia Aleksey Volin arrived in the region. Read about the details of the switchover to digital television in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Analogue TV is 60 years old
The switch from analogue to digital broadcasting started in February this year and took place in stages, in four waves. Until 14 October, 64 regions had already switched to digital TV, and the remaining 21 subjects, including Tatarstan, said goodbye to the analogue TV on 14 October.
In honour of this event, the Kazan television centre hosted a grand ceremony of transition to digital broadcasting, which was attended by Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Aleksey Volin, Deputy Director General of VGTRK Rifat Sabitov, as well as Minister of Digital Development of Public Administration, Information Technology and Communications of Tatarstan Ayrat Khayrullin.
“Analogue broadcasting in Tatarstan was launched 60 years ago — it’s just the anniversary. Therefore, one can tell that analogue TV in the republic worked completely the retirement age that was at the time of its creation, and now it is taking a well-deserved rest,” Aleksey Volin said.
That day, in addition to Tatarstan, the analogue broadcasting was switched off in Bashkiria, Karelia, Astrakhan Oblast, Volgograd Oblast, Orenburg Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Kursk Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Chelyabinsk Oblast and Saratov Oblast, as well as St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Sevastopol and Crimea, Transbaikal and the Altai Republic, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
In turn, Deputy Director General of VGTRK Rifat Sabitov called the shutdown of analogue broadcasting in the last 21 regions a “historic event” in the life of our country.
“You have no idea what difficult and tremendous work has been carried out. Even in the territory of Tatarstan, two multiplexes will provide coverage of the territory by 99,3%, which is almost 100% coverage in remarkable quality. And for us, as for broadcasters, it is very important that the regional inserts ‘GTRK Tatarstan’ will now be available even in the most remote corners of the republic,” said Rifat Sabitov.
Elimination of information inequality
As the head of the local branch of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network FSUE (RTRS), Vladimir Yakimov, told during the ceremony, earlier analogue TV allowed to broadcast in the remote corners of the republic just a couple of channels, but from today the situation has changed dramatically.
“When we started in analogue TV, we broadcasted, especially in rural areas, a maximum of 3-4 programmes, but now for the rural population and other residents, we have 20 digital programmes of good quality. That is, to some extent, we have eliminated the information inequality between the city and the village,” said the head of the branch of RTRS.
Let us remind that with the transition from analogue to digital TV, viewers in all regions of Russia now have the opportunity to watch 20 federal TV channels in high quality — Channel One Russia, Russia-1, Russia-K, Russia-24, NTV, Channel-5, Carousel, OTR, Match TV and TV Centre (first multiplex), as well as REN TV, Spas, STS, Domashny, TV-3, Friday!, Zvezda, Mir, TNT and Muz-TV (second multiplex).
At the same time, digital TV is available to owners of TVs that support DVB-T2. The owners of old TVs need to purchase a special digital set-top box. The regional authorities helped poor citizens with the acquisition and installation of receivers, and volunteers consulted the population in the setting up.
Tatarstan’s experience
Minister of Digital Development of Tatarstan Ayrat Khayrullin told in detail about the transition from analogue to digital television in Tatarstan.
“The republic together with municipalities carried out a great deal of work. In each city, volunteer headquarters were established, a contact line was organized, where everyone can apply. More than 2,500 volunteers provide assistance to residents, and if you have any difficulties or questions in connection with the shutdown of analogue television, you need to call the regional contact centre at 8-800-222-87-16, where your application will be accepted, which we will solve the problem as soon as possible,” the minister said. “Also, thanks to the president of the republic, measures have been taken in Tatarstan to support socially vulnerable categories of citizens. Programmes have been adopted to pay subsidies for the purchase of digital set-top boxes, antennas and satellite equipment to those categories of citizens who need it.”
At the end of the ceremony, Ayrat Khayrullin together with Aleksey Volin, Rifat Sabitov and Vladimir Yakimov, switched the position of the mixers on the radio equipment installed in the Kazan Television Centre to the “off” mode, which symbolized the shutdown of analogue television and the switchover to digital terrestrial television.
