South Africa's first batch of set-top boxes (STBs) for the switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television will be installed in Keimoes, Kai Garib municipality in the Northern Cape on 17 December.
The Department of Communications (DOC) says over 2 400 households in Keimoes, which is located in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area, have registered to receive government STBs.
"The installation of government's fully subsidised set-top boxes starts here in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area. Television viewing experience will never be the same for many households here in the Northern Cape," says DOC minister Faith Muthambi.
Muthambi adds: "The SKA area in the Northern Cape was identified as the place where the digital migration project will first be implemented. It is quite fitting that this rollout starts here, given the huge leap forward that the SKA represents in innovation and technological advancement."
The move marks a step forward in South Africa's digital migration process. The country missed the 17 June 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union for all countries to migrate to digital terrestrial television.
"This progress marks a significant milestone of the broadcasting digital migration project", says Muthambi.
Government has promised to subsidise five million TV-owning households with free STBs. The DOC says it plans to distribute 23 000 STBs in the Northern Cape and conclude the migration from analogue to digital in the area by 1 January 2016.
Share