The protracted debate about whether conditional access should be built into digital TV set-top boxes (STBs) is heading to Cabinet for a decision, says the Department of Communications (DOC).
Conditional access - or set-top box controls - has been holding up the roll out of digital television for a year now, following etv's successful move to block the DOC's decision for Sentech to implement the technology.
DOC spokesman Siya Qoza says government is ready to roll out digital TV and is working towards completing migration by the time the International Telecommunications Union stops protecting analogue broadcast, in mid-2015.
"The government is working towards meeting the 2015 deadline. All our efforts are directed at meeting this deadline."
A High Court ruling last year placed issue of conditional access in the hands of free-to-air broadcasters, but little progress has since been made by etv and the South African Broadcasting Corporation to appoint a provider.
Meetings
In a bid to speed up switch-on of digital television - and unlock benefits such as better quality picture and sound, job creation, and more broadband - former communications minister Dina Pule in February said the country's Digital Migration Policy would be amended.
However, she was fired by president Jacob Zuma before the changes were made, and current minister Yunus Carrim opted to host roundtable talks with the broadcasters to find some sort of consensus on conditional access implementation.
While the outcome of the meeting has not been made public, the department is in the process of referring it to Cabinet, which will decide on a way forward, says Qoza. It is not known when its decision will be announced.
Qoza says the Cabinet decision will determine how fast the department will be able to move to roll out digital broadcasting. "The minister has indicated that, as far as possible, the government would like to proceed in a manner that is as consensual as possible."
Controversial topic
In May, Carrim said the talks would explore various options, and the consequences of each would be considered, with the ultimate aim to reach consensus.
Meanwhile, etv and pay-TV provider MultiChoice are diametrically opposed in their thinking, with etv wanting conditional access to ensure the future of free-to-air broadcasters, and the latter arguing that it would lock SA into legacy technology.
Government had initially mooted STB controls to protect the local manufacturing sector from grey imports and to stop subsidised boxes from being sold across the country's borders.
The state has set aside R2.45 billion to cover the cost of 70% of the boxes for about five million homes. Around 11 million households will need the decoders to convert the new signal for viewing on older televisions.
It emerged from last week's mid-term budget documentation that this amount is not enough to also pay for antennas and installation for those who qualify for the subsidy. The state has agreed to pay for both these items.
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