Viewers on the English-Scottish borders will have their existing TV signals switched off in three years, after the British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell announced the formal go-ahead and timetable for the switch-over from analogue to digital television.

The plan, involving the rest of the UK (region by region, ending in 2012), was announced at the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge. She said the government had taken the initiative to be "ahead of the curve" in introducing the technology, but added it was aware some people would need help. The switch-over will enable the analogue spectrum to be sold off for other uses, as well as encouraging the public to take advantage of multi-channel television. Switching off the existing analogue signal means every television and video recorder, in every room, must be connected to a digital receiver if it is to work. Also, the BBC through the license fee would fun d support for vulnerable households. In March, two villages in Carmarthenshire - Ferryside and Llanstephan - became the first in the UK to switch off their analogue signal after voting for the switch following a pilot scheme.

Read more