China will provide low-interest loans to cable companies to convert 100 million urban households to digital television by 2008, which is important to China's industrialization.

The goal is to have all 380 million households in China on digital technology ten years later. Currently the number of households with digital TV stands at 280,000.

Wang Xiaojie, director-general in charge of digital TV at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, says the move is important to China's industrialization and cultural modernization.

Digital TV delivers better visual quality and allows for data transmission and the simultaneous broadcast of multiple channels, enabling interactive services such as pay-per-view movies, home shopping and stock trading.

Source: CRI