An Asian country has ended a 58-year era of analog television broadcasting, becoming the first Asian country to switch to digital transmission, reports Bloomberg. The country making the switch was Japan.

The conversion follows similar transitions by the U.S. and Germany during the past three years, and may free up airwaves that could be allocated to mobile phone operators, the story notes.

Other countries will follow suit, with South Korea, the U.K. and France planning to shut down analog systems, the story says.