Minister of Communications
Sabinet's Parliamentary Office reports that Government was committed to introducing the proposed conversion process from analogue to digital broadcasting on 1 November 2008, and adhering to the three-year transition period.
The minister of communications has published the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy in the Government Gazette that outlines South Africa's planned transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. Government intended to favourably position the country in Region One that comprised Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Iran. The minister declared that the adoption of digital broadcasting would assist efforts to stimulate much-needed economic growth in accordance with the objectives of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa.
The migration policy was the product of intense interaction and collaboration between government and the private sector and would contribute to the establishment of a "people-centred and inclusive information society".
The document outlined certain benefits that the proposed policy would bring, including more channels, the upgrade of broadcasting infrastructure, e-government services and the promotion of the local electronics industry through the creation of a set-top box manufacturing sector.
The use of satellite to transmit the signal would also eradicate current broadcasting problems in certain regions. Government planned to switch on the new technology on 1 November 2008. The minister recognised the effort made by the Digital Migration Working Group, comprising representatives of government, the private sector, organised labour and civil society to support the move from analogue to digital.
The transition from analogue to digital contained numerous opportunities to meet developmental challenges such as reducing the digital divide and improving access to information, fostering a national identity, poverty eradication and facilitating employment opportunities. The new system would allow for more programme content diversity. A digital system used the national radio frequency spectrum in a more efficient manner, thereby freeing up more space for other services such as mobile telephony and wireless broadband. The policy document stated that the digital migration process would be initiated by the "switch-on" of digital transmission signals and the "switch-off" of the analogue system. The transition period of three years would be characterised by both digital and analogue signals and a set-top box would be required for analogue televisions in order to convert the digital signal into analogue.
The 2006 Regional Radio-Communication Conference of the International Telecommunication Union had resolved that the transition from analogue to digital was necessary. The provision of community television and the incorporation of more local languages into broadcasting formed key components of the migration policy. Better picture quality would also stem from the digital system. The ICT sector would be irreversibly transformed by the migration policy. The new technology would also provide an opportunity for the introduction of interactive services to benefit visual and hearing-impaired people.
The policy was intended to establish an inclusive information society and knowledge economy in South Africa. Government would assist poor households in gaining access to set-top boxes to enable reception of the digital signal. Improved access to relevant knowledge would facilitate community development and enhance living standards. The National Industrial Policy Framework would guide the implementation of the envisaged set-top box manufacturing industry.
The policy is available in Sabinet's Government Gazettes. http://www.sabinet.co.za/prod_gazette.html
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