TELEVISION viewers in Melbourne will be the last city dwellers to see the analog TV signal switched off in Australia.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy today announced the final timetable for the switchover from analog to digital TV signals in the remaining cities and regions.

Melbourne, along with remote and central Australia, will have its analog signal switched off on December 10, 2013.

Other cities and areas from Adelaide, Tasmania, Perth, Brisbane, Darwin and Sydney will have their analog signals turned off progressively from April 2, 2013.

"Australia is well on the way to digital-only TV viewing by the end of 2013," Senator Conroy said in a statement.

Around 1.6 millions Australians in five regions are watching digital-only television free to air television, while nationally around 82 per cent of households have converted to digital television.

The government has been progressively switching off the analog television signal since 2010, with northern NSW the next area to become digital only on November 27.

And Senator Conroy welcomed the passage of legislation to improved captioning on free-to-air and subscription television for deaf people.

The changes would include measures to make the captions more readable and accurate, while ensuring better access to televised emergency warnings for the hearing impaired.

Senator Conroy said more than five million Australians were expected to have hearing loss by 2020.

The government will auction the wireless spectrum resulting from the analog signal switch-off for mobile telecommunications in April 2013.

SWITCHOVER AREA PROPOSED SWITCHOVER DATE (2013)

Adelaide April 2

Tasmania April 9

Perth April 16

Brisbane (includes Sunshine May 28

Coast and Gold Coast)

Darwin July 30

Sydney (includes Gosford) December 3

Melbourne December 10

(Source: Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy)

Originally published as Melbourne last to move to full digital TV