State out of set-top box programme
The government will no longer be involved in the procurement, warehousing, transportation and installation of set-top boxes, says communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane.
The government will no longer be involved in the procurement, warehousing, transportation and installation of set-top boxes, says communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane.
Set-top boxes will be required after digital migration to decode the signal for TV sets without digital capabilities.
The government had initially committed to supply more than 5-million subsidised set-top boxes to low-income TV owning households.
However, the procurement process has been hampered by legal battles and corruption allegations.
The government has said fewer set-top boxes may be needed because of technological advances resulting in many more households using sets with digital capabilities.
The “cabinet approved a revised delivery model on implementation of the broadcast digital migration project.
The model adopts a market/retail-driven approach through collaboration and partnerships with the private sector and industry,” Mokonyane said at Thursday’s postcabinet briefing.
“With this approach, government will no longer be involved in the procurement of set-top boxes, [or their] warehousing, transportation and installation.”
The move will save the government millions of rand and boost local industry, which will be prioritised, the minister said.
“This provides SA with headway towards the completion of the project in a manner that is inclusive, affordable and efficient, and that reduces risk to government. This will push digital viewership migration to the 85% threshold and beyond, towards switching off all analogue broadcasts.”
SA lags much of Africa on digital migration and missed the 2015 International Telecommunications Union deadline to switch to digital. This means the union no longer protects SA’s analogue signal and people living in border areas could experience signal interruptions.
The delay in the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting has frustrated many players in the information and communications technology sector who are desperate for additional spectrum.
Digital migration is crucial for freeing up broadband spectrum, which will boost connectivity. Spectrum, often referred to as the lifeblood of the wireless industry, is the radio signals set aside to carry data, including for mobile phones, TV and global positioning systems (GPS).
The limited resource is largely controlled by the government. The release of additional spectrum will diversify and boost competition in the telecoms sector and reduce data costs.
The government now hopes to finalise the migration process by the end of the 2019/2020 financial year.
Mokonyane said the cabinet welcomed the settlement reached by the department of telecommunications and postal services and the Independent Communications Authority of SA on the future allocation of high-demand spectrum. “This provides policy certainty.”
The agreement is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s economic stimulus plan.