Minimal progress made with digital migration

More than a year after SA was meant to migrate off analogue to digital television, only four towns in the Karoo are digitised.

Johannesburg - More than a year after SA was meant to migrate off analogue to digital television, only four towns in the Karoo have been moved over.

Digital terrestrial television (DTTV) is the biggest advance in terrestrial television (as opposed to satellite) since TV was allowed in SA some 40 years ago. It promises innumerable benefits, such as freeing up spectrum that can be used to make broadband ubiquitous, better sound and better picture quality.

SA started moving down this path in 2006, when it signed what has become known as GE06, a promise that it – along with other members of the International Telecommunications Union – would free up spectrum by shutting down analogue broadcast completely, as TV would now be digital.

However, SA’s process has been dogged by several delays; policy changes by government, the communications ministry’s split into two, and legal challenges over decisions it has made.

On Thursday, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi said progress was finally being made.

In her update on the situation, the minister said, as of the end of last month, an overall installation target of 90.7 percent was recorded in towns that fall within the square kilometre array area.

Government decided to rollout DTTV in this area first because it wanted to prove that the digital signal would not interfere with SA’s hosting of the mega telescope, which aims to uncover exactly when the big bang that scientist believe led to life happened.

Consequently, a year after SA should have migrated, only four towns have access to four TV stations and 18 radio stations provided by the South African Broadcasting service, and six provided by rival eTV.

A decade late

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck notes this is at least “four more dorpies than a decade ago”. He says the leadership handling migration has no appreciation of the need for this to happen, and the benefits the so-called digital dividend – when spectrum will be freed up – will have for SA.

Goldstuck adds the country has missed the point of why migration is necessary; because it will enable providers to expand high speed broadband.

Richard Hurst, research director at Market Monitor, concurs, noting that SA should have developed a sense of urgency in 2010. “It’s like flogging a dead horse. If there’s no sense of urgency now, I don’t know when there will be.”

Hurst adds SA should have had its “ducks in a row” some time ago, because there should have been more coordination and communication around issued such as the standards the set-top boxes require. The decoders are needed to convert digital signal so it can be viewed on older, analogue TVs. Government is providing five million boxes, as well as aerials, for those who qualify under a means test.

In addition, says Hurst, the issue of allocating spectrum via the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) should have been resolved some time ago. ICASA recently invited companies to apply for space in the 700MHz and 800MHz frequencies, which will be freed up once migration is complete, but this is now being challenged by the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, which says the authority moved without a policy directive. That matter is likely to be resolved by a court.

Court cases

That is not the only court challenge that has upset migration; the DOC’s ruling that the boxes need not carry encrypted signals, which would open SA up to a flood of grey imports and nullify one aim of migration – to empower local industry – was been in court for some time. In addition, a lack of encryption allows signal to be accessed, via hacking, which will adversely affect those who spend money on sourcing content.

Muthambi now says it was never its intention to stop broadcasters from deciding whether they want to encrypt, or not, but this raises technical issues.

“The department is committed to work with all key role players to ensure that the Broadcasting Digital Migration process is successfully implemented. This will ensure that the country is able to quickly release the much needed spectrum currently occupied by broadcasters to enable the provision of broadband services to the majority of the population, thus ensuring the competitiveness of the country.”

However, the process, by the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa to award tenders to manufacture the decoders government needs, has been found to be flawed. Muthambi notes an audit found that production should stop immediately, as a result.

Muthambi says: “The DoC and USAASA to urgently find a process that will enable the government to realise the goals and objectives of the nine point plan and value for money.”

In addition, it seems there will be more court cases from this issue.

Hurst notes, however, that the state could have avoided all these courts cases if it had planned properly.

“It requires, ironically communication, from all involved. They are all going on their own tangent, and not thinking of the big picture.”

IOL