Subscribe

Digital migration progress unlikely before year-end

Martin Czernowalow
By Martin Czernowalow, Contributor.
Johannesburg, 09 Dec 2014
The DOC has been unable to comment on minister Faith Muthambi's plans to show digital migration progress before the end of this year.
The DOC has been unable to comment on minister Faith Muthambi's plans to show digital migration progress before the end of this year.

With Cabinet meeting tomorrow for the final time this year, it is not clear whether communications minister Faith Muthambi's ambitious broadcast digital migration plans and stated goals will bear fruit.

Last week, a presidential proclamation cemented the Department of Communications (DOC) as the ministry in charge of the digital migration, in addition to splitting control of the Independent Communications Authority of SA between the DOC and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS).

However, even before the proclamation was issued that put an end to the digital migration turf war between the DOC and the DTPS, Muthambi had already publicly assumed control of the process, promising tangible progress before year-end.

Addressing a digital terrestrial television implementation and planning workshop, in Pretoria, last month, Muthambi stated: "The time has come for us to revive the DTT project and inject new energy into it, and as a department, we've put measures in place to bring the DTT project back on track. It is now the time for the nation to embark on the switch-on stage of the digital migration project."

One of the challenges that has hampered the project, according to Muthambi, is whether to adopt a control access system for set-top boxes. "At this point, I have conducted significant consultations and I have also taken into account the developments that led to the impasse and the stagnation. I am close to reaching finality, which I will be able to announce after consultation with Cabinet. I have prioritised that this matter is served on Cabinet before year-end."

However, it is unclear whether Muthambi will indeed bring the digital migration issue before Cabinet tomorrow, and whether a digital switch-on date will be announced before year-end.

DOC spokesman Ayanda Hollow would not comment on what Muthambi's plans are, saying a statement would be issued once the department has drawn up a calendar for what it plans for the remainder of this year.

Market analysts and industry players have largely agreed that SA will not meet the international switch-over deadline of June 2015, as there are - in effect - six months left for the country to complete the migration. Meanwhile, the process itself has become bogged down in July this year, with the final migration policy disappearing into the folds of Cabinet for final approval. It is yet to re-emerge and news of its progress has been non-existent.

'Completely bizarre'

Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications Gavin Davis says it is unclear at this stage whether Muthambi has brought the issue before Cabinet, or whether she will do so tomorrow. "But, I very much doubt that anything concrete can be achieved before the end of the year."

Responding to Muthambi's recent digital migration comments, Davis calls them "completely bizarre".

"Up until now, the Telecommunications Portfolio Committee was doing oversight on digital migration. Now we hear that the process will be driven by Muthambi, yet digital migration has never been discussed in the Communications Portfolio Committee.

"This entire debacle highlights why it was wrong to split up the old Communications Department. This turf war was always going to be inevitable due to the cross-cutting nature of digital migration. This is now evident from the unwieldy manner in which the Electronic Communications Act and the Broadcasting Act were recently chopped up by the presidential proclamation," he says.

Davis argues that government now needs to urgently finalise the digital migration policy, as well as the qualifying criteria for set-top box subsidies.

"Then there needs to be an invitation to tender for the assembly of the five million subsidised STBs. Then the tender needs to be awarded and the assembly processes started. Government must ensure that this process is transparent and above board, given the billions of rands involved. And this is where things are likely to get really interesting."

Davis adds there is a need to recruit and train people who will install and support the subsidised set-top boxes, as well as the installation. "At the same time, there will be a process of identifying those needy households that qualify for STBs. This is likely to take many years."

Share