Free-to-air digital TV may be made available across Australia through a five-year agreement between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and telecommunications supplier Ericsson. The deal, which would include rural communities, will see ABC use Ericsson's satellite video compression technology for the expansion of digital TV's reach.

Ericsson said that due to the new agreement, digital free-to-air TV would be available to hundreds of thousands of rural Australians. Currently, residents in rural communities do not have access to the same free-to-air, high-quality, digital TV in urban areas.

The company says that the issue will be corrected through their latest satellite video compression technology. Ericsson says that because of the deal, the network will be able to expand its high-definition and standard-definition digital TV programming across Australia.

As the country implements a switch from analog to digital free-to-air TV, Canberra will be offering a new satellite service to provide digital television to viewers in remote areas. Ericsson said that the "digital black spots," which contain about 247,000 Australian households, would benefit from the initiative.

"According to a recent study, all Australian households watch free-to-air TV and spend almost three hours a day watching it on average. Since this service is central in the life of Australians, we value being part of digitalizing it and ensuring that all Australians can enjoy a rich, high-quality television experience," said Sam Saba, head of Ericsson Australia & New Zealand.