Although Wales is in the lead in the percentage of homes that have already gone digital, there is still a lack of choice for many Welsh homes on how to go digital. Sky’s satellite service is available to virtually all homes in Wales – as is their Sky Freesat service, which gives viewers a range of channels for a flat £150 installation fee (or £20 viewing card fee). Cable (Virgin Media) covers only 23% of households (although the now defunct Redifusion once covered much of the Valleys). Freeview is only available to 57% of households. Internet Protocol TV is also available for on-demand television via the telephone line, but BT Vision requires a Freeview service for its main programming and Tiscali TV is not yet available in Wales.
Timetable for digital switchover in Wales
July – Sept 2009
- Preseli transmitter, serving south-west Wales;
- Carmel transmitter, serving south Wales, including Swansea
Oct – Dec 2009
- Llandonna transmitter, serving north-west Wales, including Anglesey;
- Moel-y-Parc transmitter, serving north-east Wales
Jan – March 2010
- Blaenplwyf transmitter, serving west and central Wales;
- Long Mountain transmitter, serving east-central Wales;
- Wenvoe transmitter, serving south-east Wales, including Cardiff
This means that in the major conurbations of Wales families have a choice of four means of going digital. But in areas like the Rhondda and many rural constituencies, the only choice presently is Sky’s subscription or Freesat service.
This is set to change. The BBC and ITV have been promising their own Freesat service which has a provisional start date of March 2008. No costs, either for the set top box or for installation are yet available. Nor is it yet clear whether Channel 4, E4 and Five will participate. For under-served areas which are geographically challenged and where there is a high level of deprivation it is vital that there is a choice of low cost digital services that guarantee the universal availability of the free to air channels (BBC, ITV, S4C, Channel 4, Five and their sibling channels).
That is why the long promised BBC/ITV Freesat option with its enhanced package of channels will be so important to deprived and geographically challenged areas where people are understandably chary of committing to monthly subscription services but where Freeview will only be a limited offer. Freeview’s roll-out will nonetheless be important for those who wish to combine Freeview with video on demand through IPTV on BT Vision.
I don't think enough is being done in Wales to make people aware of what is happening re. digital. I havent received anything official form the government about it. For example, my parents have a very old terrestrial TV. Will they be able to use it witha digital box??
john dean, flintshire 2007-10-29 11:46:33
I north east wales, do we come under the wales switchover or the north west england one?
Rebecca Lewis, wrecsam 2007-10-29 14:26:27
The present Freeview provision in NE Wales is deficient. We cannot get Welsh TV channels in NE Wales via Freeview - what guarantees are the politicians offering us that we can get Welsh channels in the post-digital era? Contrary to the stereotype, many people up here DO want to find out what's happening in their country rather than hear about Carlisle, Preston and Oldham on the "local" news.
chris bryant, 2007-10-29 17:14:37
Liam, I agree though a lot more is being done now to make people aware of the changes - and a high percentage of welsh homes are now digital. John, a good question. The transmitters will be closed off channel by channel one by one - so it depends which transmitter you get your signal from. Which is also true for Rebecca. You're right, many people want to get Welsh programming, but they have tended to point their aerial towards an English transmitter. You could go to the Freesat options and then it wouldn't matter.
Joe Davies, Ebbw Vale 2007-10-29 18:18:27
If you want BT Vision Chris you will need at least 2MB of spare capacity on your broadband. So as a minimum you will need a 3MB broadband connection, few areas in Wales have that capacity.
Jenny Drayden, Gloucester and Cardiff 2007-10-30 10:08:09
For information about digital switchover and future coverage of Freeview, I recommend everyone to visit www.digitaluk.co.uk Digital UK is the organisation responsible for informing the public about switchover and have a National Manager for Wales.
Joe Davies, 2007-11-21 16:16:43
Chris, it looks like for much of Wales the proposed "Freeview Lite" service is due to become even lighter with the proposal to introduce HD TV to the very limited Freeview service that is currently on offer. In order to introduce a High Definition TV service five TV channels will be lost: More 4, E4, ITV3, ITV 4 and CITV. Consider the OAP or low waged families that will be forced to upgrade to digital TV from 2009 and all they are being offered for what is by their standards enormous trouble and expense is the basic BBC and ITV public services in glorious digital. All of the ITV channels are heavily cross promoted and even after switchover the majority of Wales won't be able to receive most of them. Another fantastic choice for Welsh licence fee payers!! The most annoying thing I find about this whole switch over rip-off is that no-one is doing anything about it. Why don't our MP's stand up in Parliament and insist that if the broadcasters and Government want it to go ahead then OFCOM must upgrade more transmitter sites in Wales and give viewers a REAL choice of how they wish to access TV?
