25 January 2007
New research from the telecoms regulator Ofcom and Digital UK has revealed that 38 million Britons are still in the dark as to when the digital switchover is happening.
Only 17% of those polled knew when their region would have their analogue signal switched off and 57% said that the government had not done enough to inform viewers about the changes.
Of those who did know about the digital switchover, many believed that it would be happening sooner than it actually is. For example, Wales and the West Country are going digital in 2009, but Meridian, Anglia and London won't join them until 2012.
Regionally, the most knowledgeable about the switchover were consumers living in the Border areas, 61% of whom knew that they would lose their analogue signal in 2008-09. The least knowledgeable were consumers living in Anglia, since only 3% guessed their switchover date correctly.
Steve Weller, Head of Communication Services at price comparison and switching website uSwitch.com, said that it was "staggering" that consumers were still confused about the changes to digital.
"The problems and confusion clearly arise in the fact that consumers do not know much about when the switchover will happen, what measures they need to take and how much this will cost them," he continued.
"Our advice to consumers is to first establish when their region is scheduled to be switched over. Then, check online at either www.uswitch.com or www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk to see which digital services are available in their area."
Cable or satellite? What about Freeview? See what digital TV package would work best for you and what's available in your area by using the uSwitch.com comparison and switching service. Compare digital TV providers and switch in minutes.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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