As the Department of Communications (DoC) moves to clarify the definition of the control system approved by Cabinet for the set-top boxes (STBs) required to intercept the digital broadcasting frequencies when South Africa completes its digital migration, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi has confirmed the country will miss the June deadline to switch to digital broadcasting transmission.

This followed the announcement last week that government, after approving the Broadcasting Digital Migration Amendment Policy, planned to adopt a control system for the 100%-subsided STBs it would provide for five-million of South Africa’s poorest households.

“The International Telecommunication Union’s agreed deadline for the switch-off of analogue television signals is June 17 and South Africa will not meet this date,” she said in a statement over the weekend, indicating that the extensive industry disagreements over the STB control systems had been to blame for the latest delays to a project that was already six years overdue.

“The DoC believes the provision of [a] definition of the STB control system in the final policy will assist in clearing the confusion regarding the use of control system in the STBs,” she noted.

Muthambi assured that the control system to be included in the decoders would not control access by viewers to content or act as a conditional access system or enable signal encryption.

It would, however, work as a security feature to encourage local electronic manufacturing, with minimal switching security features to protect the subsidised STBs from theft or leaving South Africa’s borders; and enable the provision of government information and services.

“The new policy position does not in any way prohibit any broadcaster who wants to include conditional access in the provision of broadcasting services to its customers. It is the firm view of the department that broadcasters who want to do that should make their own investment in the acquisition of a conditional access system.”