Ofcom also wishes to emphasise two important issues. Firstly, the Consultation and this statement necessarily focus on terrestrial TV and the implications for this platform through switchover. Ofcom has specific responsibilities for the licensing and regulation of this platform, including the management of the radio spectrum used by terrestrial TV. However, DTT is only one of a range of options that most households will have for receiving TV after switchover. It is important that DTT is planned in the context of digital TV more generally, and that appropriate technological neutrality is maintained between different platforms. Ofcom is committed to achieving switchover in the UK to the agreed timetable on a multi-platform basis.
Second, the figure of 98.5 per cent of UK households is an important benchmark in considering the future coverage of DTT since it represents the current percentage of households with predicted analogue TV coverage today. However, Ofcom is also concerned with the interests of the 1.5 per cent of households (around 375,000 households) who are currently not served by the four analogue public television services. We are currently undertaking further research on these households, considering if and how they are using TV at present and what options will be available to them after switchover. The aim of this work is to seek to ensure that the interests of all UK television households continue to be protected through switchover.