Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 10 / Trend H.Valiyev /
Azerbaijani national television channels will be forced to make a transition to digital broadcasting, Azerbaijani National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council (NTRBC) head Nushiravan Maharramli said today.
He added that the transition is an urgent issue for Azerbaijan and many other countries.
"We are also taking all of the necessary steps in this direction in accordance with the program to make a transition to digital broadcasting," Maharramli said. "I believe that national broadcasters should carry out all necessary technical work to make this transition to digital broadcasting."
AzTV, Public Television, Idman Azerbaycan and LiderTV broadcast in digital format. Teleradio has already applied to all of the national TV companies to make the transition.
The remaining national channels -- Space, Xazar and TRT (Turkey) - and also regional channels are required to obtain permission from the NRTBC and to sign a contract with the Teleradio Production Union for inclusion in the digital package.
Today, digital TV has been commissioned in Baku and on Absheron Peninsula.
Digital TV is broadcasted in MPEG-4 format. The signal broadcast from the Baku TV Tower reaches Salyan, Siyazan and Gobustan.
In the near future, the digital TV signal will be available in Ganja. Work is underway to lay a microwave link from the Alat to the Lerik region. A radio link will be used to transmit digital signals from Baku to the country's southernmost regions.
Maharramli said the readiness of both operators and consumers are priority issues that must be dealt with in making the transition to digital TV.
He added that Azerbaijan will fulfill all obligations to make this transition in 2012.