UPDATE 20190831:
Information located here: http://чукотка.рф/press-tsentr/novosti/?ELEMENT_ID=3498 posted to Twitter by @SWWINB
Translation: Short-wave digital broadcasting throughout Chukotka
"The authorities of Chukotka and specialists of the Far Eastern Regional Center of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network, a short-wave digital broadcasting throughout Chukotka, intend to implement the ambitious project. Governor Roman Kopin and Director of the Far Eastern Regional Television and Radio Broadcasting Center branch Stanislav Kuznetsov signed a Cooperation Agreement, which opens up prospects for future joint projects in the region and is a continuation of the effective cooperation of the parties in switching to digital broadcasting in the district, for which Chukotka is fully prepared.
As the Head of the region noted, the restoration of short-wave broadcasting will provide communications to all of Chukotka, including geologists, miners, reindeer herders and hunters - therefore, the Government of Chukotka initiated such a difficult, but important project.
- We constantly have in these remote places two thousand residents who need to be provided with communication services. Subsoil user projects are implemented outside the boundaries of settlements, transport communications are provided in remote areas that are not provided with communications. The Northern Sea Route also requires attention. These new solutions will allow to remove restrictions and provide communication where it is needed, ”said the Governor of Chukotka.
- We are finishing the preparation of technical equipment and this document allows us to legislatively deal with issues by agreement with the Government of Chukotka. We hope that by the end of June we will be able to go on the air and get experiments - to what extent will our calculations on the effectiveness of closing the entire population of Chukotka with broadcasting programs with additional service be confirmed. It should be noted that this broadcasting will no longer be in the previous (analog) format, this broadcasting will be in a digital, most modern format, ”said Stanislav Kuznetsov, director of the RTRS“ Far Eastern RC ”branch.
Today, the preparation of transmitters, antennas, technical systems and infrastructure of the radio center is nearing completion. It is planned to begin the first test cycle in the second half of the year. Testing will be carried out in 2 standards: classic AM and digital DRM. However, the main focus is a digital format. In addition to the goals of delivering a radio program to listeners, the project lays the foundation for creating a technology platform for global one-way data transfer similar to a one-way Internet.
Using a DRM platform for data transmission reveals a considerable range of opportunities for additional services, in addition to simple broadcasting. The most significant are the CD-sound quality and the ability to synchronously transmit a copy of the base program in the national language. In addition, targeted notification, as well as the use of the platform for operational, duty, dispatch services and projects for the informatization of the Arctic territories, the waters of the Northern Sea Route.
Another project is the public Internet. RTRS together with the Department of Industrial and Agricultural Policy of Chukotka is working on the issue of providing public Internet at the first 5 connection points in Anadyr."