There have been reports that some salesmen were selling digital terrestrial television (DTT) set-top boxes door-to-door in some public and private housing estates earlier on. Some of them claimed to be authorised by the Housing Department or the estate management offices, and some even said they worked with the Government, to test the television signals for the residents and help them switch to DTT, trying to earn their trust. The salesmen would mislead the residents by saying that the existing four free-to-air analogue television channels (i.e. the Home and World channels of ATV and the Jade and Pearl channels of TVB) would soon be switched off and that set-top boxes would need to be installed for continuous reception of free television. Besides, the salesmen would provide discount and free installation service to the residents for immediate acceptance of offer, aiming at pushing them to buy the set-top boxes without second thought. In most of the cases, the set-top boxes they were selling cost higher than the similar models available in shops.

We wish to clarify that the salesmen's allegation is untrue. Although the Government has considered to switch off the existing analogue television service in 2012, it is just a tentative target. The Government will take into account the actual market conditions, including the take-up rate of the DTT service, before deciding on the exact timing for the analogue switchoff. Once the exact schedule has been confirmed, the Government will give wide publicity to it so that the public can have sufficient prior notice to prepare for it. For the time being, the existing analogue television service of ATV and TVB will continue to be provided until the Government announces otherwise.

We would also like to remind the residents that such door-to-door sales activities are mostly unauthorised by the Housing Department or the estate management offices concerned. If in doubt, the residents should check with their estate management office at once. Please note that the Government has never co-operated with any business establishment to sell DTT receivers of any kind. Those who intend to switch to DTT should consider to buy the necessary device, e.g. the set-top box, in major electronics retailers. They should compare different brands and models and check out the prices first, and ask the staff to demonstrate the operation of the device before buying it.

Public enquiries on DTT service can be made by calling the hotline of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) on 2961 6333 during office hours. Useful information is also available at www.digitaltv.gov.hk and www.ofta.gov.hk.

Commerce and Economic Development Bureau