The DISY Council for Monitoring Government Performance launched a fierce attack against the government, in response to the serious problems that arose during the transition to the new digital television platform (DVB-T2).

In a statement by the coordinator of the Efficiency Portfolio, Michalis O. Ioannidis, it is emphasized that the Deputy Minister of Innovation’s public admission that the problem was underestimated and the forced return to the old platform constitute a clear admission of government failure. As noted, this is not a simple technical issue, but a complete failure of planning and coordination, the price of which 110,000 vulnerable households are now being forced to pay.

The statement attributes four critical mistakes to the government, focusing on the complete lack of preparation compared to other European countries, where the corresponding processes took years. Specifically, it criticizes the absence of targeted subsidies and information for the 25–30% of citizens (the elderly, residents of rural areas) who rely on terrestrial antennas, the reactive adoption of a costly “panic solution,” as well as the complete lack of interministerial coordination between the Ministries of Innovation, Welfare, and Environment, which left room for profiteering in the market.

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For its part, DISY is presenting a framework of five specific proposals, calling for the immediate launch of a unified technical support hotline and the implementation of a government plan to provide equipment to vulnerable groups, such as low-income pensioners, recipients of the Universal Basic Income (EEA), and people with disabilities. At the same time, it proposes the immediate intervention of the Competition Protection Commission to monitor prices, the involvement of the Auditor General to audit the costs of temporarily reinstating the old platform, as well as the conduct of an independent audit to verify the actual geographic coverage of the signal in each municipality.

The announcement reads as follows:

Digital TV Platform Transition – The 4 Mistakes Made by the Government and 5 Recommendations

Announcement by the Government Project Monitoring Council

• It was not a “technical” problem. It was a failure of government planning and coordination.
• 110,000 vulnerable households are paying the price for this failure
• Our country’s technological development will bear the brunt of the monumental distrust the government has instilled in its citizens.

Ten days after the old digital TV platform was shut down, thousands of households were still seeing “NO SIGNAL” as recently as yesterday. The Deputy Minister of Innovation’s public admission that “the scale of the problems had not been assessed” and the decision to revert to the old platform for parallel viewing constitute an admission of government failure.

The transition to DVB-T2 had to happen. Freeing up the spectrum for 5G is a European obligation; it provides better reception quality and opens up new possibilities for free-to-air television.

We criticize the way the government chose to carry out the transition.

In Ireland, preparations took two years and included targeted outreach to vulnerable groups. In Germany, there was a parallel broadcast system and a phased transition over 3.5 years. In the United Kingdom, the transition was gradual, lasting five years, with a government plan providing assistance, equipment, and information for vulnerable groups.

In Cyprus, there was no planning whatsoever: less than 3 months of a parallel viewing period, no targeted subsidies, no public awareness campaign, no plan for the estimated 460 metric tons of electronic waste, and an unjustifiable opportunity for profiteering due to the tight transition deadlines.

The government made four critical mistakes:

1. It treated the issue as a technical one, when it is actually a matter of planning, coordination, and public acceptance—as is the case with any transition to new technologies. An estimated 25–30% of households (the elderly, those in rural areas, and the economically disadvantaged) rely on terrestrial antennas and are disproportionately affected.
2. It did not provide for support measures: neither subsidies nor technical assistance for vulnerable groups.
3. It is reacting reactively: The temporary reinstatement of outdated equipment is an expensive panic measure, not a strategy.
4. Lack of interministerial coordination: The Ministries of Innovation, Welfare, and the Environment operated as independent silos. The public bears the cost.

Despite this failure, and beyond the announced reinstatement of the previous platform, we propose—even at this late stage—the following:

1. A single hotline for technical support and information, backed by a network of authorized technicians, with parallel management and oversight to prevent profiteering by these technicians.
2. A targeted government plan to provide assistance, equipment, network upgrades, and information for vulnerable groups (recipients of the Universal Basic Income, low-income pensioners, people with disabilities, and people aged 70 and older living alone).
3. Immediate intervention by the Hellenic Competition Commission (EPA) to investigate possible collusive practices regarding meter rates and home network replacements.
4. Publication of the contract with the new provider and an audit by the Auditor General regarding the cost of temporarily restoring the old platform.
5. Independent audit of actual geographic signal coverage (with a map for each municipality).

No digital transition should be undertaken without a pilot test, parallel operation, and support for vulnerable citizens in the “last mile” (final adoption). These are fundamental elements of any technological transition. Coordination is also essential for any government policy. Citizens do not vote for independent technocrat ministers, but for a government that must operate holistically, coherently, and with political planning and coordination.

Digital transformation means progress that leaves no one behind. If the current administration fails a test of technological transition involving a core technology, it unfortunately proves itself unfit to manage this sector the major challenges of tomorrow, such as Artificial Intelligence and the accelerating Digital Transition.

With this approach, the government is, unfortunately, reinforcing a two-tier society, leaving citizens behind in the digital future, and fostering a sense of resistance and skepticism toward technological progress and development.

Michalis O. Ioannidis Coordinator – Effectiveness Portfolio

Government Project Monitoring Council – Effectiveness Portfolio and Research and Technology Portfolio