Terrestrial TV in Scotland is now fully digital following the switchover of the transmitter group serving parts of Glasgow, Edinburgh and central Scotland.

Kirkfieldbank was the last of 200 sites in Scotland to switch at 3pm today.

“Scotland has been a challenging region as a whole,” said Peter Heslop, digital switchover project director at Arqiva, the transmission provider for terrestrial TV which is responsible for the five-year, £700 million switchover project.

“There have been many technical as well as logistical challenges, as there are some very remote sites across the Highlands and on the islands.

“Where possible we are reusing existing infrastructure and generally that means strengthening masts to take new antennas, but one of the biggest sub-projects in Scotland was Black Hill, which required a new antenna and a new building.”

The completion of switchover in Scotland means that eight out of the UK’s 15 TV regions have now fully switched over.

By the end of this year the analogue signal in central Yorkshire and Anglia will be switched off, leaving Meridian, London, Tyne Tees and Ulster to be switched over next year.

“I am absolutely confident the project will remain on schedule and within budget,” added Heslop.

Topics