Digital TV delayed
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has confirmed that South Africa’s switch over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) will be delayed until 2013 at the earliest. This is over a year and a half later than cabinet had initially envisaged.
In 2008 cabinet set out a number of guidelines regarding the switch over to digital terrestrial DTT, one of which was that analogue broadcast would terminate on the 1st of November 2011.
In 2009 however ICASA committed to a dual illumination period which would commence on the 1st of April 2010 and terminate on the 1st of April 2012, at which point all operators would be required to permanently switch over to full digital television broadcast.
Reasons for the delay
In a ‘Reasons Document’, published with the final regulations for the DTT switch over, the Regulator explained that this process will take longer than expected.
The first stumbling block is the shortage of set top boxes, which are needed to receive the digital signal, with slow government funding being fingered as factor. The second hindrance is a delay in the publication of draft regulations due to a legal challenge by e.tv.
ICASA also added that cabinet’s initial switch on date for the dual illumination process (1 November 2008) was only three months after the recommendations were made which did not give the Regulator ample time to publish final DTT regulations.
In addition the Regulator added that it is not bound by cabinet’s proposed timeframe.
The time frame in which dual illumination is now set to commence will be communicated to broadcasters by the Regulator at least 60 days prior to that date. This dual illumination period will terminate three years after the commencement date.
No indication of when this will take place has been given.
This means that if ICASA were to immediately issue an instruction to broadcasters to begin the dual illumination process South Africa would only complete the switch over to DTT in April 2013.
Consequence
The consequence of this action is that ICT providers, in need of the spectrum which will be freed up by the move to DTT, will be forced to wait longer than expected.
In the draft regulation process local provider Neotel submitted that “moving the switch off date to later than 1 November 2011 would be detrimental to providers of ICT services other than broadcasting services which need access on an urgent basis to the 790-862 MHz band occupied by analogue broadcasting services.”
In late 2009 Lara Kantor, Chairperson for the Digital Dzonga, an advisory council for the switch over to DTT, told MyBroadband that “council has advised the [Communications] Minister that due to certain outstanding matters, including outstanding regulatory issues, this date may not be met”.
Digital TV delayed << Discussion
Related links:
Digital TV migration may be delayed
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