The new Communications Minister, Yunus Carrim, on Thursday pledged to resolve the impasse between government and broadcasters surrounding the conditional access functions of the set-top boxes (STBs) required for South Africa’s digital migration.

Speaking at the first Google Big Tent event, in Midrand, he said that the Department of Communications (DoC) planned to gather the stakeholders in mid-September to secure a consensus on the way forward or delve deeper into the issues behind the divide.

“We are significantly behind schedule,” he said, accepting responsibility, as government, for the many delays, but stressed that the DoC “wanted to get going” on the project. The major stumbling block was the dispute about whether the STBs should have control or not.

The DoC initially issued the tender for the manufacture of five-million subsidised STBs, in August last year; however, the awarding of the tender was halted after e.tv launched a court bid to oppose Sentech’s appointment to manage conditional access to the STBs.

In December, the South Gauteng High Court ruled that broadcasters other than Sentech should also be granted conditional access control.

The DoC appealed the ruling but, in February, withdrew its appeal in an effort to fast-track the roll-out of digital terrestrial television (DTT).

The DoC, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and e.tv, besides others continued with court-ordered Independent Communications Authority of South Africa-led talks into the role of each party in the implementation of the conditional access, the continuation of the STB tender, and the delivery to the DoC of the STBs for the market.

“We have met the contending parties separately and have encouraged them to meet together, but there has not been much progress,” Carrim explained.

STBs are needed to receive a digital terrestrial signal. South Africa made a commitment to the International Telecommunications Union to migrate from an analogue to a digital signal by the middle of 2015.

Following a speedy resolution, the DTT migration could be rolled out in a few months.

But should the DoC not reach a consensus with the broadcasters, Carrim warned that the department would, with the consideration of all views outlined, go ahead with the project.

A yet-to-be-announced technical expert with negotiating skills would facilitate the upcoming meeting.