China DTH satellite TV trial to begin in July

China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) is to begin a trial of direct broadcasting by satellite (DBS) on July 20th in Ningxia. 10,000 receivers with smart cards have been distributed in the region free-of-charge to allow access to the service which will be broadcast on Chinasat-9.

The full service, designed to give coverage to remote areas of the country, is planned to start on October 1st, with 10 million satellite receivers expected to be sold by the end of 2012.