DTT Rollout in 2009

According to last week's Irish Times the Minister for Communications, Éamon Ryan, announced that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) will be available to 80% of consumers in Ireland by the end of 2009, and to all households by 2012 -- when the analogue signal will be shut down.

Viewers who wish to avail of DTT will have to purchase a set-top box that is expected to cost €100, and Mr. Ryan indicated the Government is "considering" making it free to elderly and low-income people.

RTÉ will develop the national digital terrestrial television service, which will eventually broadcast up to eight channels on a free-to-air basis. These will be the four existing free-to-air channels - RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2, TV3 and TG4 - and four new channels.

The new channels will be Dáil TV and an Irish film channel, both backed by the Government, and two new RTÉ channels: RTÉ 3, which will show archive material, and RTÉ 1+1, which will broadcast RTÉ's schedule on a time delay of one hour. A spokesman for RTÉ said the extra channels would be launched on a phased basis.