Argentina uses satellite to offset lack of DTT coverage
Details
Juan Fernandez Gonzalez
| 08 March 2017

The schools’ network of Northern Argentina is to get free-to-air (FTA) digital TV via satellite until DTT coverage expands.

As part of the Belgrano plan, Argentina’s public telco Arsat is deploying a direct-to-home (DTH) infrastructure to enable the schools to watch digital FTA TV. The strategy, which is only to be deployed for the rural schools of Northern Argentina, could be implemented in future to compensate for the lack of DTT coverage in remote areas.

Under the plan, which will also connect around 2,000 schools to the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, every rural school will get an aerial and DTH decoder to gain access to FTA TV.

In the meantime, Arsat will continue to build the necessary infrastructure for increasing DTT coverage. As part of the strategy, unveiled earlier this year, 15 new broadcasting towers will be built across the country in 2017, nine of which will be placed in the country’s northern regions.

The broadcasting stations will be built in the provinces of Corrientes, Salta, Chaco, Misiones, La Rioja and Jujuy, enabling over 900,000 people to receive DTT TV for the first time.