Information ministers from ten Southeast Asian nations have
reaffirmed their commitment to a joint regional approach to the
development of digital broadcasting. In particular they welcomed and
endorsed the establishment of a Task Force to work towards the
formulation of a common technical specification for set-top boxes
It
was acknowledged, however, that cooperation in this area would need to
take into account the different states of broadcasting infrastructure
and the economic development of and financial implications for some
members countries. A joint statement was issued following the Eighth
Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information which
took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on October 7th and 8th.
The ASEAN organisation consists of the following nations: Brunei
Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. DVB-T services are on air in
Singapore, whilst Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand all have trials in
progress.