The Department of Communications (DOC) will announce the start date for citizens to register for government-subsidised set-top boxes (STBs) in the North-West at the beginning of next year.
This is according to DOC minister Faith Muthambi, speaking at a Lekgotla in the North-West province yesterday.
Muthambi's announcement comes after she noted registration for STBs will open in the North-West, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng at a later stage.
Registrations for subsidised STBs are already under way in the Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Despite uncertainty over the technical specifications of STBs, Muthambi's department has remained defiant and continues to drive SA's analogue switch-off project.
In October, the DOC kicked-off phase one of the project to switch households in the Square Kilometre Array area in the Northern Cape to digital terrestrial television. The department has prioritised households in border-lying areas where analogue causes the greatest interference.
She explained: "Bokone Bophirima [North-West] is one of the prioritised provinces in the rollout of government-subsidised free set-top boxes to poor TV-owning households in the border-lying areas with Botswana to enjoy good picture quality and sound.
"Based on our assessment of the analogue switch-off in the SKA area, the advent of digital terrestrial television has created employment opportunities for young people as installers of the set-top boxes."
Work must begin with the Department of Communications to plan Izimbizo to promote the uptake of registration, explain the benefits of STBs, and identify youth that can participate in the installer programme, stated Muthambi.
"I urge you to work with us to ensure that our people enjoy the benefits brought about by the implementation of digital terrestrial television."
Government plans to subsidise five million TV-owning households across the country with free STBs.
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