Mexico City, Mexico - The Mexican government plans to provide free high-definition televisions to low-income households to speed along its transition to digital broadcasts.

The project is starting with a pilot program in Tamaulipas state to distribute 120,000 TVs from two suppliers, Foxconn Technology Group and Diamond Electronics, the Communications and Transportation Ministry said in a statement last Friday. In May, the government will solicit bids for nationwide TV distribution.

The TV giveaway is part of Mexico’s plan to help viewers switch to digital signals so broadcasters such as Grupo Televisa and TV Azteca can stop using analog airwaves. That will free up wireless spectrum that the government can reassign for other uses, such as wireless Internet access.

Mexico had previously planned to hand out converters to families that don’t have digital tuners, mimicking the US government’s subsidy program during its 2009 digital transition.

The 24-inch TVs to be distributed in Tamaulipas have low energy consumption, high picture and sound quality, and HDMI and USB ports to connect with other devices and the Internet, the communications ministry said.

According to the communications ministry, the government will use data from the Social Development Ministry to determine who receives the TVs, sending out notifications to families to inform them when and where they can pick them up. While it didn’t say how many households would get TVs nationwide, the Social Development Ministry includes millions of Mexicans on its rolls for various services.