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Digital broadcasting migration project, South Africa

3rd June 2016

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

  

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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 had until 2015 to complete the migration.

Latest Developments
Communications Minister Faith Muthambi has noted the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on free-to-air television broadcaster eTV’s STBs encryption court battle.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, on May 31, found that the amendment to the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy in 2015 by Minister Muthambi did not follow a process of consultation and was irrational and in breach of the principle of legality.

In a statement following the court ruling, the DoC said: “The Minister will study the judgment and decide how to proceed”.

Last year, the North Gauteng High Court dismissed the free-to-air television broadcaster’s case to encrypt STBs with costs.

This comes after the free-to-air television channel had questioned the rationality of the Minister’s decision to amend the policy, saying it was not in the best interest of free-to-air broadcasters.

When eTV challenged the legality of the Minister’s decision to amend the policy, other stakeholders who were embracing digital migration accused the television channel of pursuing its own business interests. However, eTV had earlier indicated the amendment to the policy would result in their spending R3-billion to distribute their own STBs.

Public broadcaster the South African Broadcasting Corporation, also support Minister Muthambi in the view that encryption will cost an initial R580-million and R500-million a year after that.

By filing an application for leave to appeal a judgment by the high court, the free-to-air broadcaster wanted the Supreme Court to set aside a provision in the policy that said government subsidised STBs would not have the capability to encrypt broadcast signals. It also wanted the provision stating that the control system would not be mandatory amended.

The Broadcasting Digital Migration Amendment Policy was approved by Cabinet last year with the inclusion of the control system in the STB, which was clearly defined when the policy was published. The policy aims to clarify the use of a control system in STBs that will enable households to switch from analogue to digital broadcast signals.

The issue of whether to include the control system in the STBs has been a source of disagreement among free-to-air broadcasters for some time, and this impacted negatively on the ability of the country to implement broadcasting digital television.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
South Africa missed a key international digital migration deadline  on June 17, 2015.

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

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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