Sri Lanka Signs Landmark Agreement to Launch Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting
In a transformative move toward digital modernization, Sri Lanka has officially signed an Engineering Consultancy Services Agreement to initiate Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB), marking the end of the country’s 45-year-long analog television era.
The agreement was signed on April 3 at the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in Colombo, under the patronage of Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and Japanese Ambassador Mr. Isomata Akio.
The milestone project is being implemented by the Ministry of Mass Media, with technical and financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), under Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)program.
The agreement was formally signed by Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, and Gaku Adachi, Managing Director of Japan Engineering Consultancy Services.
Once completed, the project will replace analog broadcasting with high-efficiency digital systems. It will enable multiple channels per frequency band, greatly improving spectrum utilization. Digital broadcasting will deliver high-definition (HD) picture and sound quality across free-to-air TV platforms. It will also support broader digital economy activities by freeing up spectrum previously used for analog signals.
The signing was witnessed by Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Harsana Suriyapperuma, Deputy Digital Economy Minister Engineer Eranga Weeraratne, Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, JICA Sri Lanka Chief Representative Kenji Kuronuma, Deputy Ambassador of Japan Kamoshida Naoaki, along with senior officials and technical experts from both countries.
This agreement marks the first major step in the national rollout of DTTB, promising better accessibility, content diversity, and technological advancement for the people of Sri Lanka.
