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 R4.3-billion.

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

Latest Developments
Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi has denied reports that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has discussed a reversal of South Africa’s digital migration policy.

The Business Day reported on October 12 that the ANC, at its National General Council (NGC) meeting, criticised Muthambi for allegedly defying party policy on digital migration.

Earlier this year, Muthambi’s department made amendments to South Africa’s digital broadcasting policy to ensure that up to five-million subsidised STBs do not require encryption technology.

“The Department of Communications wishes to place it on record that the ANC NGC never discussed a possible reversal of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy as reported in the Business Day and Business Report on Monday, October 12, 2015,” Muthambi has said in a statement.

“The matter of encryption was also not discussed in the Commission and Plenary Sessions of the National General Council when the report of the Commission was adopted,” Muthambi has added.

She further states that “instead, it was unanimously agreed that the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy should be implemented without delay” and that the “policy went through the proper process as prescribed by Cabinet” with requests for public comments dating back to 2013.

Muthambi’s stance on encryption is similar to that of the SABC and MultiChoice – two organisations that have said encryption will add extra costs to manufacturing STB.

Conversely, broadcaster e.tv and official opposition party the Democratic Alliance have said that encryption will ensure that noncompliant boxes will not receive signals and that it could further protect high-quality content for free-to-air broadcasters.

The ANC told Fin24 on October 12 that it planned to have a meeting with Muthambi on her decisions regarding digital migration.

Reported tension over Muthambi’s stance on encryption has come as South Africa’s digital migration process officially launched this month in the Northern Cape.

Areas surrounding the deep space telescope Square Kilometre Array project are set to receive the first subsidised STBs in the country.

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.