Cyprus considers temporary return to DVB-T after troubled switchover
Cyprus considers temporary return to DVB-T after troubled switchover
July 10, 2026 11.22 Europe/London By Julian Clover
Photo: dimitrisvetsikas1969
The Cypriot government has proposed temporarily restoring its previous DVB-T terrestrial television platform after the country’s transition to DVB-T2 left thousands of viewers unable to receive commercial television channels.
Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou said the government wants to operate both DVB-T and DVB-T2 in parallel for two months, giving viewers more time to retune their televisions or install compatible equipment.
Cyprus switched to the DVB-T2 transmission standard on 1 July, increasing broadcast capacity and enabling HD services. However, the move generated widespread complaints after many households lost access to private free-to-air broadcasters, including Sigma, which holds the rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup in Cyprus. Public broadcaster CyBC was unaffected by the change.
Viewers with DVB-T2-compatible televisions need only retune their sets, while older receivers require an external decoder. However, retailers and installers reported that some televisions expected to support DVB-T2 still experienced problems, while some decoder installations also failed to restore reception.
Network operator Hellas Sat attributed many of the issues to ageing antenna systems, outdated signal amplifiers, poor cabling and incompatible decoder boxes. The company said it has received a surge in technical support requests since the switchover.
The disruption highlights the practical challenges still facing countries migrating to DVB-T2. Spain is also preparing a nationwide DVB-T2 transition later this year, while Italy continues its phased migration. Both have focused heavily on consumer information campaigns to minimise disruption as broadcasters move towards UHD and more spectrum-efficient transmission technologies.
Cyprus’s proposal to temporarily reinstate the legacy DVB-T platform is an unusual step, reflecting the scale of the reception problems and the importance of maintaining access to major live sporting events during the transition.
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