NEC Corporation announced today that it has received orders for Digital TV transmitters from Chinese broadcasting companies, through its affiliated company NEC Solutions (China).

This is the first time that NEC's Digital TV transmitter will be installed and operated in China. The orders awarded to NEC are as follows.

– NEC received an order from Shanghai Technology Development Company, a research and engineering authority of broadcasting and media. NEC will provide a 2.5kw digital TV transmitter, which will be installed in the Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group, the management and operation unit for broadcasting equipment, will run the field trial.

– NEC also received an order from Shanghai Oriental Pearl Transmission Company, a TV and radio broadcasting firm in Shanghai. NEC will provide two 1.2kw digital TV transmitters, which will also be installed in the Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower. In Shanghai, commercial digital TV broadcasting services such as the delivery of PR and advertising information to buses, taxis and ferries have begun, and NEC's digital TV transmitters will be also utilized for the service.

In addition, NEC had agreed to cooperate in digital TV broadcasting area with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Transmission Company, to prepare for future business acceleration. Based on the agreement, the company will provide maintenance/support services for NEC's analog and digital TV broadcasting transmitters installed all over China. Also, NEC can utilize the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower transmitting station as NEC's demonstration base and showcase for digital TV transmission systems.

In China, two digital TV transmission formats are currently under consideration for commercial service. It is anticipated that the format will be officially decided in early 2005, and then the deployment of equipment will begin.