The Department of Communications’ (DoC’s) recent gazette notice of the proposed amendment of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy signals a possible gain in traction for South Africa’s digital- migration ambitions, with a digital signal switch-on date of April 1 targeted.

The amendments, which are out for public comment, indicate that, after several years of delays and many false starts, the nation’s move from analogue broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) is back on track.

“The time to migrate to a digital broad- casting system has inevitably arrived. We need to embrace it because it is a major step in improving our people’s lives, and I sincerely hope that this policy is a bold step in our quest to achieve that goal. The looming switch-on date requires us to work at the speed of light, consistent with our business unusual strategy to enhance the benefits of digital television for all our people,” Communications Minister Yunus Carrim says in the document.

This follows Cabinet’s approval in December for the use of a control system in subsidised set-top boxes (STBs), which will be required to receive terrestrial broadcasting transmission signals after the analogue broadcasting frequencies’ exclusivity, or protection, is lifted in June 2015.

The STB impasse between broadcasters is the latest of many challenges government faces in the delivery of DTT since committing to the International Telecommunications Union’s deadline of June 17, 2015.

South Africa’s self-imposed deadline to switch on the digital signal in November 2008 and switch off the analogue signal in November 2011 – allowing for a three-year analogue and digital dual-illumination period – proved unrealistic.

Multiple Ministerial changes, delays in transmission tower upgrades and a 2010 STB technical standard adoption review, as well as amended Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy and DTT regulations requiring public consultation, have hampered the digital roll-out, resulting in further delaying the digital switch-on from a new date of April 2012 to September.

The DoC’s October 2012 soft launch in the Northern Cape was meant to be followed by a nationwide commercial launch in December last year, but this was delayed for another year, owing to a legal dispute between the DoC and free-to-air broadcaster e.tv regarding the STBs.

Carrim will decide on the new switch-off date for analogue transmission after engaging Cabinet and other relevant stakeholders.