Mexico Lays Ground for Digital TV Service Launch

[Gregg Lengling]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico made its first foray into digital television on Friday with the release of a plan to make the new technology, which offers movie-quality image and CD-like sound, available to the entire population by 2021.
Communications and Transport Ministry said Mexico was officially adopting the digital television technological standard and detailed steps to bring better television service to the country's population of more than 100 million.

"The adoption of the digital television standard will have an impact in the technological, economic and social development of Mexico," the ministry said in a release in the Official Gazette.

Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey along with six border cities will be the first locations where there should be at least two commercial digital channels by 2006.

In Mexico, airwaves are split between leading companies Grupo Televisa and TV Azteca and two state-owned channels for a total of seven channels with national coverage.

Televisa, TV Azteca and ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

During the 17-year transition period, for every analog channel a new digital channel will have to be launched but they will both transmit the same programming.

About 90 percent of the population has a television set, even though more than half live under extreme poverty conditions.

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