Name and Location
Digital broadcasting migration project, South Africa.

Client
The Department of Communications (DoC) and Sentech.

Project Description
Digital terrestrial television (DTT) is the implementation of digital technology to provide more channels and/or better picture quality and sound using a conventional television antenna or aerial, instead of a satellite dish or cable connection.

In 2005, State-owned enterprise Sentech announced its plans to roll out DTT using digital video broadcasting terrestrial (DVB-T) technology, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Initially, there will be two DVB-T transmitters for each location or site.

The first phase of the project involves upgrading the Sentech broadcast network and duplicating the current analogue network channels on a digital system.

Most of the 220 sites needed to broadcast DTT to 92% of South Africa's population are in place, but have to be upgraded to become fully digital. Once that process has been completed, DTT and analogue systems will run simultaneously (a dual-illumination process) until South Africa is ready to switch off analogue transmission. This decision will be made by government.

Consumers will require a set-top box (STB) to decode the signal, even for public broadcasting and free-to-air channels. The STBs are expected to be subsidised.

Once the migration to DTT is complete, the country will no longer have exclusive use of the frequencies.

Value
The upgrade is expected to cost R1-billion.

Supplying the STBs will cost an estimated R2.45-billion.

Duration
According to an agreement with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the country has until 2015 to complete the migration.

Latest Developments
Two weeks after South Africa missed the deadline to transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), Communications Minister Faith Muthambi said no interference had been recorded while the Department of Communications (DoC) firmed up its switch-off dates.

Muthambi has assured that, although no date has been set, the long-awaited digital migration will be concluded within the next two years.

This follows the lifting of South Africa’s protection over its broadcasting transmissions by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on June 17, leaving television viewers open to frequency disruptions and signal interference.

Much of the immediate risk has been limited through several engagements and agreements of cooperation signed with Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique, while agreements with Namibia and Zimbabwe are being finalised.

SANews has quoted Muthambi as saying that the date to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting signals will be announced once all systems are in place, including the manufacture and distribution of five-million government-subsidised STBs to South Africa’s poorest television-owning households.

Further, e.tv’s withdrawal of its legal action over the STB controls will enable the department to “speed up” the digital migration process.

“It is now public knowledge that court cases filed by media houses in the country have contributed to the delay,” Muthambi has said.

Meanwhile, government has made steady progress towards making digital radio broadcasting in South Africa a reality, with plans under way to develop a roadmap for a regulatory framework, policy proposals and commercial model for digital radio in South Africa.

“Even though we have not migrated to DTT, this has not prevented government from taking concrete steps to introduce digital radio broadcasting,” Muthambi has commented.

State-owned signal distributor Sentech and various stakeholders, including the National Association of Broadcasters and the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association, are undertaking trials to provide the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa with a joint technical report on digital radio broadcasting while mapping out operational issues and testing technical functionality.

Digital Audio Broadcasting, or DAB+, the trials of which will be concluded in October, is a digital replacement for the analogue FM band, while Digital Radio Mondiale, or DRM, will replace the medium-wave, or AM, band.

Government aims to start engagements with various stakeholders on the policy proposals after the conclusion in November of the ITU World Radio Communication Conference.

“Once we are sure of our case studies and cost-benefit analysis, we will launch digital radio in South Africa. It is clear . . . that we are on the right track towards laying a strong foundation for the smooth introduction of digital radio broadcasting,” Muthambi has concluded.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
South Africa officially missed a key international digital migration deadline  on June 17.

Contact Details for Project Information
DoC media liaison officer Siya Qoza, tel +27 12 427 8511.
Sentech, tel +27 11 691 7000.