The Current Television Broadcasting System
All present New Zealand terrestrial (i.e. land-based) television services1 employ analogue terrestrial transmission using radio frequency spectrum in the VHF and UHF bands from hill-top sites to give coverage of main population areas, supplemented by many low-powered transmitters in areas shaded from the main sites.
Most satellite broadcasting is already in digital format, including the "Sky Digital" satellite platform, which approximately 30% of households have. Sky use a "conditional access" system to encrypt most programmes, including TV3, TV4, Prime and Trackside. TVNZ also has its own satellite capacity, which it currently uses to broadcast unencrypted regional versions of TV One and TV2. These TVNZ programmes are available to any person owning suitable satellite receiving equipment and also, by agreement with Sky, to Sky Digital subscribers. TVNZ does not currently promote a separate free-to-air satellite service, but a number of independent retailers sell free-to-air satellite receiving equipment to the public.
Telecom NZ has recently announced plans to distribute television services in digital format over its broadband network, which can commence without alteration to current government policy. TelstraClear currently distributes Sky programmes via its cable system in analogue format.
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