DECISION

ON APPROVING THE SCHEME FOR DIGITIZATION OF TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION BROADCASTING BY 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Government organization dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on telecommunications dated November 23, 2009;

Pursuant to the Law on Radio frequency dated November 23, 2009;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 22/2009/QD-TTg dated February 16, 2009 on approving the Planning for radio and television broadcasting by 2020;

At the request of the Minister of Information and Communications,

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Article 1. Approving the Scheme for digitization of terrestrial television broadcasting by 2020, in particular:

I. GENERAL TARGETS

1. Converting the terrestrial television broadcasting infrastructure from analog technologies to digital technologies (hereinafter referred to as digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting) towards modernity and uniformity of standards in order to improve the service quality, increase the number or television channels, raise the efficiency of television frequencies, and release part of the spectrum resources to develop mobile information services and wireless broadband services.

2. Step by step expanding the coverage of digital terrestrial television (DTTV) to serve economic, cultural and social development, provision of diverse and high-grade television services that meet the demands and incomes of the people; ensuring the fulfillment of political objectives, national defense and security objectives.

3. Establishing and developing a DTTV broadcasting market in order to attract resources to the development of television infrastructure, based on the uniformity and efficiency management of the Government.

4. Facilitating the reorganization and restructuring of radio and television stations nationwide towards specialization and efficiency; separate communications from broadcasting.

II. SPECIFIC TARGETS

1. By 2015:

a) Ensure that 80% of the households nationwide have televisions that are compatible with various types of digital television (DTV), DTTV among which makes up approximately 80%;

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c) Uniformly apply DTTV standards based on Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard and its later versions;

d) Uniformly apply the audio and video coding standards:

- Transmitting: apply MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 standards by December 31, 2015;

- Receiving: the DTV receivers that are produced and imported must meet MPEG-4 standard and be compatible with MPEG-2 signals from January 01, 2013.

2. By 2020:

a) Ensure that 100% of the households nationwide have televisions that are compatible with various types of DTV, DTTV among which makes up approximately 45%;

b) The provide DTTV coverage that broadcast channels serving political adjectives for up to 80% of residents;

c) Uniformly apply the standards of DTTV based on DVB-T standard and its later version, the audio and video coding standard MPEG-4 and its later versions from January 01, 2016.

III. PRINCIPLES

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2. Share the DTTV broadcasting infrastructure established by television broadcasters between central and local television stations on the basis of ensuring the overall and sustainable interests of the whole television system.

3. Implement the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting in the following order: the developed areas that lack spectrum resources shall undergo the switchover first; the disadvantaged areas that have sufficient spectrum resources shall undergo the switchover later. Combine the digitization in the planned areas and with encouraging enterprises to quickly the DTV broadcasting infrastructure in other areas depending on the capacity of enterprises and the market.

4. Switch over from terrestrial analog broadcasting to DTTV broadcasting when 95% of the households in that province or city have televisions compatible with the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives using various methods of broadcasting, including: DTTV, cable television, satellite television, and Internet television.

5. Mobilize all social resources, enterprises, and part of government budget to implement the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting.

6. Utilize the television infrastructure invested to implement the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting.

IV. DEPLOYMENT PLAN

1. The localities in charge of implementing the digitization plan

The central-affiliated cities and provinces are classified into 04 groups to implement the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting on the basis for their socio-economic development, local conditions for radio transmission and frequency distribution:

a) Group I: Hanoi (original), Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho;

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c) Group III: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang;

d) Group IV: Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lang Son, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong.

2. Digitization plan:

a) Phase I:

- 2012 - 2010: the national and local providers of DTTV broadcasting services are responsible for commencing and completing the construction of DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the cities in group I to broadcast the channels serving essential political and propagation objectives of central and local television stations.

- Based on the television broadcasting infrastructure, central and local television stations shall broadcast the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives on both digital and analog terrestrial television infrastructures in the cities in group I;

- Before December 31, 2015, central and local television stations shall switch off all analog broadcasts and switch over to DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the cities in group I;

- Central television stations shall take appropriate measures to keep broadcasting the analog channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives in the provinces and cities adjacent to the cities in group I that are affected by the termination of analog television broadcasting in such cities.

b) Phase II:

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- Based on the television broadcasting infrastructure, central and local television stations shall broadcast the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives on both digital and analog terrestrial television infrastructures in the provinces and cities in group II;

- Before December 31, 2016, central and local television stations shall switch off all analog broadcasts and switch over to DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the provinces and cities in group II;

- Central television stations shall take appropriate measures to keep broadcasting the analog channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives in the provinces adjacent to the provinces and cities in group II that are affected by the termination of analog television broadcasting in such provinces.

c) Phase III:

- 2015 - 2018: the providers of DTTV broadcasting services nationwide and locally are responsible for commencing and completing the construction of DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the provinces in group III to broadcast the channels serving essential political and propagation objectives of central and local television stations.

- Based on the television broadcasting infrastructure, central and local television stations shall broadcast the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives on both digital and analog terrestrial television infrastructures in the provinces in group III;

- Before December 31, 2018, central and local television stations shall switch off all analog broadcasts and switch over to DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the provinces in group III;

- Central television stations shall take appropriate measures to keep broadcasting the analog channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives in the provinces adjacent to the provinces in group II that are affected by the termination of analog television broadcasting in such provinces.

d) Phase IV:

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- Based on the television broadcasting infrastructure, central and local television stations shall broadcast the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives on both digital and analog terrestrial television infrastructures in the provinces in group IV;

- Before December 31, 2016, central and local television stations shall switch off all analog broadcasts and switch over to DTTV broadcasting infrastructure in the provinces in group II;

V. SOLUTIONS

1. Solutions for propagation:

a) Organizing propagation of the plan for digitizing television broadcasting via the media and means of advertising in crowded places, on means of public transportation, and during cultural activities.

b) Making announcements at appropriate times on TV or radio of the local digital switchover timetables;

c) Building the communication system (telephones, mailboxes, websites) to support organizations, enterprises, and the people to switch over from analog television to DTV;

d) Requiring that advertisements and presentations of producers and importers of receivers and televisions; advertisements and presentations of providers of television broadcasting services must be attached to information about the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting;

dd) Holding conventions and conferences on the plan for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting to raise the awareness; encouraging organizations, enterprises, and the people to participate in the implementation of the plan.

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a) Licensing the enterprises eligible to establish terrestrial television broadcasting infrastructure in accordance with the Law on telecommunications, the Law on Radio frequency, and the Television and radio broadcasting planning to establish a market of DTTV broadcasting services with no more than 03 service providers nationwide and no more than 05 service providers locally, provided the television broadcasting network are not geographically overlapping in order to avoid wastefulness and ensure efficient use of technical infrastructure.

b) Promoting the use of other methods of television broadcasting to boost the digitization of terrestrial television broadcasting:

- Facilitating the deployment of cable television and internet television systems in urban areas and residential areas on the basis of health competition among service providers;

- Prioritizing the use of communications satellites of Vietnam with reasonable charges to spread and exchange television programs serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives, in combination with the use of regional and international satellites to broadcast the programs permitted to be broadcasted via satellite.

c) The enterprises licensed to provide cable television and DTTV services are obliged to:

- Broadcast the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives in the localities for which terrestrial television services are provided, ensuring that such channels are broadcasted by at least one digital broadcasting network;

- Not encrypt the channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives to ensure that all digital media receivers (digital televisions and DTV receivers) are compatible with such channels from various DTTV broadcasting networks.

3. Solutions for organizational structure and personnel training:

a) Establishing a Steering Committee for digitizing Vietnam’s television by 2020 to provide guidance on the implementation of the Scheme nationwide. The President of the Committee is the Minister of Information and Communications - the President, the Deputy President is a Deputy Ministry of Information and Communications, and the members are representatives of relevant Ministries and agencies;

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b) Step by step restructuring the broadcasting departments of local radio and television stations according to the roadmap for digitization, in particular:

- Personnel of the broadcasting departments: step by stem downsizing and providing training to the personnel to suit the roadmap for digitization and facilitate the restructuring stations by focusing on the production of programs after switching of analog broadcasting in the locality;

- Broadcasting infrastructure: during the parallel broadcasting of analog and DTTV, only investments in upgrading, repairing, and maintaining the existing analog transmitters are permitted, unless necessary investments in the areas beyond the television coverage to broadcast the television programs serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives, or to replace the damage transmitters. In order to efficiently use the infrastructure invested, after switching off analog broadcasting, TV stations may allow provider of DTTV broadcasting services to lease the fixed infrastructures (buildings, antennae) under agreements.

4. Solutions for technologies and standards:

a) Formulating, promulgating, and uniformly applying DVB-T standard and its later versions to DTV receivers, transmitters, and televisions;

b) From January 01, 2013, all televisions produced or imported to Vietnam must be compatible with DTTV based on MPEG-4 standard (compatible with MPEG-2 until December 31, 2015);

c) Planning DTTV frequencies on the basis of prioritizing the application of new technologies, the use of single-frequency networks, adjacent frequency coding technique, and other techniques to efficiently sue the spectrum resources; combining multi-frequency networks and widespread single-frequency networks with local single frequency networks that suit the actual conditions.

5. Financial solutions:

a) The enterprises that study and produce DTV receivers, transmitters, televisions, and the providers of DTV broadcasting services that meet the standards of hi-tech enterprises and the Law on Technology transfers shall be provided with financial and taxation incentives in accordance with legislation on finance, taxation, high technologies, and technology transfers; considering including DTV receivers, digital televisions, hi-definition televisions, and stereo displays in the key investment programs;

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c) Using the Fund for Public Telecommunications Services according to the plan for digitizing terrestrial television to:

- Provide support for providers of DTTV broadcasting services to make investment in digital transmitters to broadcast the channels serving essential political and propagation objectives of central and local television stations in remote areas, disadvantaged areas, bordering areas, and islands;

- Support the provision of DTV receivers for poor households and households being beneficiaries of social policies;

d) Formulate public telecommunications service provision programs during 2011 - 2020, specifying the time, area, subjects, and budget for implementing the plan for digitizing terrestrial television.

dd) Use part of the proceeds from spectrum auctions to implement the plan for digitizing terrestrial television.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The Steering Committee for digitizing Vietnam’s television shall:

a) Assist the Prime Minister in:

- Providing uniform guidance on the implementation of the Scheme for digitizing terrestrial television nationwide;

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b) Providing guidance for the Ministries, agencies and local governments on cooperating in implementing the Scheme for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting, controlling and ensuring the sustainable development of enterprises participating in digital broadcasting in accordance with the Planning for radio and television broadcasting by 2020, the Scheme and Planning for radio and television frequencies approved by the Prime Minister;

c) Deciding the time to switch over from terrestrial analog broadcasting to DTTV in each locality;

d) Making assessment and sending reports to the Prime Minister on the result of the Scheme for digitizing terrestrial television in each phase in order to adjust the roadmap for digitization to actuality.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall:

a) Assist the Prime Minister and the Committee in organizing and monitoring the implementation of the Scheme for digitization of terrestrial television broadcasting;

b) Suggest the timetables for switching off terrestrial analog broadcasting nationwide and in each locality to the Prime Minister and the Committee;

c) Request the Prime Minister to amend the Decision No. 191/2004/QD-TTg dated November 08, 2004 on the establishment, organization and operation of the Fund for Public Telecommunications Services towards adding more subjects, areas, and objectives in order to support the implementation of the plan for digitizing terrestrial television;

d) Formulate and request the Prime Minister to promulgate and organize the implementation of the programs for complementary public telecommunications service 2011 - 2020, specifying the time, area, subjects, and budget for implementing the plan for digitizing terrestrial television;

dd) Formulate and request the Prime Minister to promulgate the Planning for Vietnam’s radio and television stations by 2020 towards restructuring them to suit the roadmap for digitization.

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g) Cooperate with the Ministry of Science and Technology in formulating and promulgating National Technical Regulations on DTV; formulate and request competent authorities to announce national technical standards of DTV in accordance with law;

h) Cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces in investigating the proportions of methods of watching television in localities, the numbers of poor households and beneficiaries of social policies to support the provision of DTTV receivers;

i) Imposing conditions for ending terrestrial analog television and totally converting to DTTV locally and nationwide;

k) Make a list of channels serving the fulfillment of essential political and propagation objectives;

l) Formulate and launch communications and propagation schemes to improve the awareness of organizations and the people of terrestrial television digitization;

m) Specify the conditions and methods for licensing enterprises to establish telecommunications networks, provide DTTV broadcasting services;

n) Formulate and promulgate the Planning for DTTV frequencies;

o) Provide guidance, urge local governments and providers providing television-broadcasting services to launch the roadmap for digitization;

p) Provide guidance and organize the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 20/2011/QD-TTg dated March 24, 2011 on management of pay television. On that basis the people may buy satellite television receivers to watch the programs of central and local television stations broadcasted via satellite.

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a) Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in providing guidance for the enterprises that use and produce receivers, transmitters, and converters used for DTTV and second-generation digital satellite television according to the Decision No. 49/2010/QD-TTg dated July 19, 2010 and the Decision No. 55/2010/QD-TTg dated September 10, 2010 of the Prime Minister.

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in formulating and promulgating National Technical Regulations on DTV.

4. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

a) Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Finance in attracting investments in development of DTTV broadcasting infrastructure;

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Finance in formulating the plan for funding from government budget for formulating and launching the programs, schemes, and projects in the Appendix to this Decision.

5. The Ministry of Finance shall:

a) Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Industry in providing guidance on incentives according to the Law on High technologies, applicable to the enterprises that use and produce receivers, transmitters, and converters used for DTTV and second-generation digital satellite television.

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies in controlling the import of DTV receivers, transmitters, and televisions into Vietnam according to the standards and regulations imposed by the State.

6. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall:

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7. Vietnam Television shall:

a) Establish enterprises that provide television broadcasting services affiliated to Vietnam Television to participate in the provision of television broadcasting infrastructure, broadcast the channels serving essential political and propagation objectives nationwide at the request of the State;

b) Initiate the construction of DTTV broadcasting network according to the digitization plan.

8. People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces shall:

a) Instruct local radio and television stations to step-by-step reorganize the broadcasting departments according to the roadmap for digitization, and broadcast their channels on the broadcasting infrastructure of the enterprises that provide DTTV broadcasting services;

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in implementing the programs for supporting the provision of DTV receivers in their localities.

9. The enterprises that provide DTTV services shall:

a) Formulate the plans for digitizing their broadcasting infrastructures to meet the coverage targets and suit the digitization roadmap based on the Planning for radio and television broadcasting and the Scheme for digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting;

b) Invest in the infrastructure and provision of DTTV broadcasting services for districts according to their plans for digitizing broadcasting infrastructure;

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Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the day on which it is signed.

Article 4. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial agencies, Heads of Governmental agencies, Presidents of the People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces, the General Director of Vietnam Television, General Directors and Directors of the enterprises that provide DTTV broadcasting services are responsible for the implementation of this Decision./.

PP THE PRIME MINISTER
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER




Nguyen Thien Nhan

APPENDIX

LIST OF PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND SCHEMES FOR DIGITIZING TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION BROADCASTING BY 2020
(Promulgated together with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2451/QD-TTg dated December 27, 2011)

No.

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Units in charge

Cooperating units

Capital sources

Time

Budget (billion VND)

1

Support for provision of DTTV receivers

The Ministry of Information and Communications

 The Ministry of Finance and People’s Committees of cities and provinces

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2011 - 2020

1,710

2

Construction and conversion into DTTV broadcasting infrastructure

VTV, VTC, AVG and local television broadcasters

The Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Planning and Investment

Corporate capital

2011 - 2020

1,381

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2011 - 2020

733

3

Investigation into methods of watching television and supported subjects

The Ministry of Information and Communications

The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the People’s Committees of cities and provinces

Government budget/Fund for public telecommunications services

2011 - 2020

72

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Propagation of digitization of terrestrial television broadcasting

The Ministry of Information and Communications

Mass media agencies

Government budget/Fund for public telecommunications services

2011 - 2020

50

Total budget

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3,946

Quyết định 2451/QĐ-TTg năm 2011 phê duyệt Đề án số hóa truyền dẫn, phát sóng truyền hình mặt đất đến năm 2020 do Thủ tướng Chính phủ ban hành