Sri Lanka has officially suspended the issuance of new licences for the operation of terrestrial analogue television channels, following Cabinet approval of a joint proposal presented by the Minister of Mass Media and the President, in his capacity as Minister of Digital Economy.
At present, 24 television channels, including five state-owned broadcasters, are operating under licences issued to 16 institutions using the existing analogue terrestrial system. Authorities note that the frequency spectrum has already reached its maximum capacity, making further licensing impractical.
In response, the Ministry of Mass Media has launched the Digital Non-Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Project, aimed at introducing a single digital terrestrial broadcasting system to replace the current 46 analogue transmission systems across the country. The initiative seeks to provide higher-quality digital viewing services through modern technology.
The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Government of Japan and is scheduled for completion by 2029. The existing analogue broadcasting system will be completely phased out within two years following the project’s conclusion.
Accordingly, the Cabinet has decided to terminate the process of issuing licences for analogue terrestrial television channels with immediate effect. Future allocation of frequencies for terrestrial television operations will be handled by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL). (Newswire)