Just over 25 000 households in the Northern Cape will have fully migrated to digital terrestrial television (DTT) by the end of this year, says Dr Fhatuwani Mutuvhi, chief director of the digital migration programme in the office of the minister of communications.
This number, however, is not even close to the five million poor TV-owning households that government plans to subsidise with free set-top boxes (STBs).
Over 3 700 households in core towns of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project in the Northern Cape have migrated to digital broadcasting, notes Mutuvhi.
These towns ? Carnavon, Vanwyksvlei, Brandvlei, Vosburg and Williston ? sit in the core of the SKA area, where analogue causes the greatest interference, he notes.
"We have successfully activated close to 100% of the installations in these towns...We are currently deploying set-top boxes to clear the rest of the area. On average, 98% of registrations have been recorded in the rest of these towns, 86% of which have been fully installed and activated."
He adds: "The immediate focus is to clear the SKA, followed by the towns bordering our neighbouring countries."
Up in the air
SA missed the June 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union for countries to switch from analogue to DTT.
After missing this cut-off date, the Department of Communications (DOC), which is in charge of running the project, kicked off the migration process by prioritising border-lying regions like the SKA area in the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West.
Although the DOC continues to drive registration for subsidised STBs in those areas, the judgement by the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA) has put a spanner in the digital migration process.
The legal battle between Etv and communications minister Faith Muthambi resulted in the SCA ruling the DOC's digital migration policy "unlawful and invalid" and accordingly set aside. The free-to-air broadcaster took Muthambi to court over the use of unencrypted STBs.
In 2013, the ANC resolved to use encrypted STBs, but Muthambi later amended this policy by opting to use unencrypted decoders.
Despite the SCA judgement, Muthambi moved to challenge the ruling that favours encrypted decoders. The DOC has lodged papers with the Constitutional Court in an effort to get the SCA judgement overturned.
While there is no clear indication of the STB technical specifications, the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (USAASA), which is charged with managing the production and installation of STBs, instructed its manufacturers to suspend the production of DTT decoders until further notice.
The agency only suspended the production of DTT STBs, while direct to the home (DTH) decoders are not affected and the production thereof continues.
DTH STBs are encrypted as per SABS standards and have been distributed to qualifying households in the border areas which will not receive DTT signals. Meanwhile, the DTT decoders are not encrypted as per the amendments to the Digital Migration Policy.
According to the agency, the decision to suspend production was based on the SCA judgement.
New strategy required
Marian Shinn, Democratic Alliance shadow telecommunications and postal services minister, has been vocal about the failure of the government project, and called for it to be stopped and reappraised to determine a new path.
According to Shinn, Muthambi is the major stumbling block. "She must be removed from office if any progress - free from legally expensive decisions to promote dubious agendas - is to be made."
The National Association of Manufacturers in Electronic Components (Namec) slammed the project and the production of STBs with no capabilities to encrypt broadcast signals as "fruitless and wasteful expenditure".
Namec lobbied to make sure the bulk of the tender to produce subsidised STBs was awarded to local emerging electronic manufacturers. It says encryption will not only boost the content industry, but critical skills and knowledge will be developed in the areas of software technology, encryption technology and programming.
The DOC placed the first order for 1.5 million STBs with USAASA last year. To date, 447 458 DTT STBs have been manufactured and verified and 20 306 DTH STBs have been manufactured and verified, according to USAASA.
Government plans to subsidise five million poor TV-owning households.
Digital TV sweet spot
Meanwhile, industry experts have called for the process to be completed so that mobile operators can access the prime spectrum they need.
Gartner analyst Fernando Elizalde says the wireless communication industry will benefit immensely from digital migration. "There will be spectrum for 4G and 5G services and also low power transmission systems."
According to Naila Govan-Vassen, ICT industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan Africa, the ongoing saga is delaying the release of much-needed spectrum that could potentially change Internet proliferation in remote and less densely populated areas.
"Apart from delaying the release of spectrum, it is also limiting broadcasters from offering new digital services with potentially higher revenues, and is also affecting the viewer's choice for TV programmes, high-definition TV and multi-channel sound, among others.
"The key for digital migration is the preparation for the analogue switch-off, meaning broadcasters' content needs to be in digital format, and all TV viewers need to have access to the set-top boxes. This is all part of the process and essential to viewing the digital content," she adds.
Digital migration will fast-track provision of affordable broadband to rural communities and enable them to participate in the digital economy, says George Kalebaila, IDC senior manager for telecoms, media and Internet of things in Africa.
He states: "The importance of digital migration is really not for TV per se but for the spectrum that it will make available for 4G. Part of the spectrum in the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa's current invitation to apply is the so-called digital dividend spectrum that is currently being occupied by analogue TV.
"Of course, digital TV itself will make available more channels and better TV experience to viewers. But of critical importance is the spectrum that has to make way for broadband wireless communication such as 4G."
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