The Department of Communications (DOC) has finally admitted SA will not meet its international commitment to turn off analogue signal on time, a scenario long anticipated by commentators.
However, few people are likely to care the International Telecommunication Union's 17 June deadline will pass the country by as the impact on the viewing public will be minimal, says ICT commentator Adrian Schofield. He notes the "crime being committed" because of SA's failure to migrate is that spectrum cannot be freed up to provide rural broadband.
The DOC, which is spearheading SA's move to digital TV - which should have seen analogue signal turned off on 17 June - says SA "will not meet this date".
Schofield notes, with the finalisation of the policy - which came through last week - SA has taken a large step forward in moving off analogue signal. Yet, he says, there is still much to be done as tenders need to be awarded, installers trained, and the post office, which is yet again threatening strike action, needs to get subsidised boxes delivered.
Cabinet last week approved broadcasting digital migration amendment policy, mandating controls for set-top boxes (STBs). However, the industry has said details of the exact system are not yet clear, with the South African Communications Forum saying Cabinet's statement did not clarify the nature of the controls.
More clarity
The DOC has since said the control system to be used in the decoders will be "clearly defined when the policy is published", although no date has been provided for that publication. The thorny issue of controls has held migration up for the past few years, with broadcasters at loggerheads over its use.
The DOC believes the provision of definition of the control system in the final policy will assist in clearing the confusion regarding its use. It explains this system does not mean a conditional access system nor signal encryption to control access to content by viewers.
Instead, it refers to a security feature to encourage the local electronic manufacturing sector and prevent subsidised boxes from being stolen for use outside of SA. The DOC will provide five million decoders free to the poorest homes. The system will also allow government to provide unspecified information and services, says the department.
"The new policy position does not in any way prohibit any broadcaster who will want to include conditional access in the provision of broadcasting services to its customers. It is the firm view of the department that broadcasters who will want to do that should make their own investment in the acquisition of a conditional access system."
A turn on date for digital TV is set to be announced after the DOC consults with Cabinet, and the process is expected to take two years to finalise migration.
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