Department of Communications (DOC) minister Faith Muthambi informed the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Services in Parliament, that SA's digital terrestrial television (DTT) project is being rolled out despite minor challenges.
SA's digital migration has been progressing at a snail's pace after the country missed the June 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union for countries to switch from analogue to digital TV.
After missing this cut-off date, the DOC, which is in charge of running the project, kicked off the migration process by prioritising border-lying regions like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area in the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West.
According to Muthambi, the department has encountered a few challenges in the switch from analogue to DTT. These include a lack of funding for public awareness campaigns and dual illumination for the establishment of contact centres.
With regards to the South African Post Office, there are also risk issues which are awaiting National Treasury regarding the additional funding the entity requires, she says.
"As of 31 August 2016, the average overall installation target of 90.7% was recorded in all the SKA towns, namely Carnavon (91.9%), Brandvlei(90.3%), Williston(85.2%) and Vanwyksvlei (96.8%)in the Northern Cape."
Over 3 700 households in core towns of the SKA radio telescope project in the Northern Cape have migrated to digital broadcasting, according to the DOC.
In her address, Muthambi also informed the committee about the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling that the DOC's digital migration policy "unlawful and invalid" and accordingly set aside.
Etv and Muthambi have been at loggerheads over the technical specifications of the set-top boxes to be used when the country finally migrates from analogue to digital television viewing.
The court decision never said that the DOC must stop the digital migration programme, she notes.
"The court limited itself only on certain sections of the policy, which we are challenging. The court invalided a clause or section of the broadcasting digital migration policy," Muthambi says.
The DOC plans to announce the switch-off date of the analogue TV signal in towns located near the SKA area in the Northern Cape in October.
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