Cyprus considers temporary return to old TV platform amid transition issues

Following the transition to a new terrestrial digital television system on July 1, Cyprus has faced significant public disruption. Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou announced on July 8 that he has requested the temporary reactivation of the Velister platform for two months. This measure aims to provide citizens more time to adjust their technical equipment, such as antennas and decoders, to the new standard. Officials admitted that the scale of the transition's complexity and the public's delay in preparation were underestimated. The Department of Electronic Communications cited a high volume of calls to support centers and reported instances of technical service exploitation. Specifically, consumers have complained about high fees, lack of receipts for services, and cases of overheating decoders. The Ministry maintains that the transition is necessary as Cyprus was the last European nation using the outdated DVB-T standard. The government is currently evaluating the technical feasibility of the proposed temporary parallel operation.