Despite telecommunications and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele being adamant he is ready to press ahead with broadcast digital migration, the process could well be derailed again - this time due to a purported power struggle between Cwele and his communications counterpart.
Earlier this week, Cwele stated there is not much time left for SA to complete the switchover and the country could not afford to miss the June 2015 International Telecommunication Union deadline.
However, it has now emerged the final broadcast digital migration policy, meant to have been gazetted at the end of the month, is still with Cabinet awaiting finalisation.
The Mail & Guardian reported this morning that sources in government reveal a turf war has erupted between Cwele and communications minister Faith Muthambi, who was not consulted on the final migration plan.
According to the publication, "the tensions are so high that they resulted in minister of telecommunications Siyabonga Cwele missing the end of July deadline he had set for his department to publish a new policy for digital migration".
Competing turfs
Democratic Alliance shadow minister of telecommunications and postal services Marian Shinn confirmed the policy had not been gazetted, as earlier promised by Cwele. While she could not confirm reports of the ministerial stand-off, Shinn said it was more than likely the communications ministry split had led to a turf war.
"Digital migration is Cwele's responsibility, but this was always going to be the danger of the split - that it would create competing turfs," she said, alluding to president Jabob Zuma's "reconfiguration" of the old communications ministry.
Announcing his Cabinet in May, Zuma created the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services and the new Department of Communications, led by Cwele and Muthambi, respectively. The move created much obfuscation regarding the mandate and functions of each department, and the new structure was heavily criticised by industry and opposition politicians for being poorly thought-out, complicated and regressive.
Shinn says the alleged rift between Cwele and Muthambi is a clear example that no forethought had been given to the split and that Zuma had committed an error of judgement in creating the new ministries.
She also states Muthambi's interference in the process shows her narrow view of digital terrestrial TV as no more than a platform for content delivery, and also highlights the ANC's confusion between ICT and communications in the broader sense.
Set-top box opportunities
Earlier this week, Cwele said there is still time to establish a local set-top box (STB) manufacturing industry, despite the countless delays and setbacks suffered by government's digital TV migration plans.
Government has always pushed the development of a local STB manufacturing sector, which would support BEE entrants and create jobs. However, the country's stuttering digital migration journey and prolonged delays in finalising an STB policy have seen a number of BEE players - who had been ready and waiting to kick off manufacturing - either close their doors or switch their focus to other products.
Currently, it appears big players such as Altech, which are already in the STB manufacturing game, would be the net winners when migration gets under way.
However, Shinn says government's STB manufacturing policy is outdated. She questions how many BEE entrants would have the necessary skills to take up large-scale manufacturing, and says the amount of jobs created via this strategy would be minimal.
Instead, government should rather exploit the opportunities that will be created in the STB installation and support space, says Shinn.
Cwele recently said government has ring-fenced a budget of R2.97 billion for broadcast digital migration.
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