Abu Dhabi, June 6th, 2006 (WAM) --The Telecommunications RegulatoryAuthority (TRA) in the UAE is representing the country at the ITU RegionalRadiocommunication Conference (RRC) being held in Geneva from May 15thto June 16th, 2006, with the aim of facilitating the introduction of digitalbroadcasting technologies in the country.

Tariq Abdulkarim Al-Awadhi, Director of Spectrum Management chairs a UAEteam comprising members from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority,Emirates Media, Dubai Media and Sharjah TV.

"The ITU Regional Radiocommunication conference is a key initiative inpromoting a smooth and effective changeover to digital broadcasting,"said Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the TRA. "The ICT andTelecommunications sector in the UAE has developed tremendously over theyears, and we are committed to further innovation and the provision ofnew digital services in the country. The Conference will help us concentrateon achieving our strategic goals by adopting new technology in a bid toadd value for our consumers."The ITU Regional Radiocommunication Conference 2006 is organised withthe objective of establishing the technical foundation for the planningof digital terrestrial broadcasting of television and radio services forEurope, Africa, the Middle East and Islamic Republic of Iran. The 2006Conference aims to reschedule digital broadcasting channels in the 174-230MHz and 470-862 MHz frequency bands to pave the way for digital channelgrowth.

Digital broadcasting is roughly six times more efficient than analogue,allowing more channels to be carried across fewer airwaves. At the conference,TRA will address specific issues relating to digital transition, as wellas discuss ways to permit digital broadcasting to operate side-by-sidewith analogue broadcasting, without causing interference between the two.

Emphasising the importance of the transition from analog to digital broadcasting,Tariq Abdulkarim Al-Awadhi said, "Broadcasting is entering a new age withadvances in digital technology opening up major prospects for the futureof television and radio in the region. Digital terrestrial televisionbroadcasting offers the advantage of better signal quality with higherthroughput resulting in more channels. In conjunction with the scheduledworldwide transition to digital broadcasting in 2009, the Authority isaiming to further its scope of service delivery by utilizing the opportunitiesoffered by the new paradigm."