Further supplementary memorandum submitted
by National Grid Wireless Ltd
DIGITAL TELEVISION SWITCHOVER: PROPORTION
OF HOUSEHOLDS ABLE TO OBTAIN RECEPTION BY SET-TOP AERIALS
Following our evidence to the Committee on 20
December 2005, I have set out below current information concerning
set-top aerial reception.
To assist me in answering the Committee's question,
I approached Ofcom, who kindly provided me with this information
from the results from a collaborative study led by Ofcom which
was called Portable Reception of DTT: Predicted Impact of Digital
Switchover on Portable Reception of Terrestrial Broadcasts.
The study completed its work in April 2005 and was carried out
with assistance from various parties including i2media research
ltd, the BBC, DTI, NTL, DTG YouGov and ourselves.
This draft report draws on information from
desk-top computer modelling and signal strength calculations,
aerial performance measurement works and the results from questionnaires
received from 2,000 households using indoor aerials. Of approximately
25 million households in the UK, it estimates 1 million households
use an indoor aerial on their main TV set and that "between
50% and 75% of these households will be able to receive digital
terrestrial broadcasts on the same sets using existing or improved
portable reception systems".
However, these results are preliminary and I
understand further more detailed research on DTV reception is
currently underway, as noted by Ofcom in their oral evidence to
the Committee.
6 February 2006
| 
