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<p>Ofcom estimates that 98.5% of UK households have access to 17 channels including
those from the public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the digital terrestrial TV (DTT,
or Freeview) platform, and that approximately 90% of UK households are also able to
receive additional commercial DTT channels. Around 1.5% of UK households cannot easily
receive DTT services with less than 0.5% not able to receive DTT services at all.
However, DTT, cable and satellite digital television services together cover practically
100% of UK households, so that in all but the most exceptional of cases, everyone
should be able to get digital television by one means or another. As well as subscription
services, digital satellite TV offers non-subscription reception options for a one-off
equipment and installation cost, but with no on-going monthly payments.</p><p>We have
had no discussions with Freeview or Digital UK, who manage the DTT platform, about
extending services and there are no plans to require broadcasters to improve the DTT
coverage levels agreed for digital television switchover in 2006.</p><p>Purely commercial
DTT services are not subject to the ‘near-universal' coverage requirements which apply
to PSB DTT services, and while the operators of the commercial DTT services were given
the opportunity to extend their networks at the time of digital switchover, the operators
determined that it was not commercially viable for them to build-out their services
to additional transmitter sites.</p>
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