Out of the box

By Candice Jones, ITWeb online telecoms editor

Johannesburg, 22 Jul 2009

The Digital Dzonga Advisory Council hopes to have 60% of SA covered for digital terrestrial TV (DTT) by the time the first commercial service goes live.

According to Lara Kantor, chairperson of the council, the major metro cities - Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban - should be covered with a digital signal by the planned release date of April next year.

The Dzonga unveiled a Web site yesterday, where consumers can check the coverage areas of the digital signal, which will be updated as coverage grows across SA.

When the commercial service goes live, consumers will receive around 16 free-to-air channels out of the box, Kantor says. “These will be standard definition. For the time being, no hi-definition channels have been planned.”

Consumers who already subscribe to DStv and receive the free-to-air channels through satellite will not receive all the new channels, which are expected to be added as a bouquet with the digital migration.

Last week, the South African Bureau of Standards approved the manufacturing standards of the set-top box hardware. However, full manufacturing production cannot begin until the broadcasters have agreed on a software standard, also known as the set-top box control.

Speaking at the Dzonga's opening event yesterday, on Constitution Hill, communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda urged the broadcasters to make a speedy decision on the software controls, so that manufacturing and roll-out could begin as soon as possible.

While the minister did not explain exactly what services would be included on the boxes, the specifications allow for several data and interactive services to be included. One example, which will be new to SABC and eTV viewers, is the electronic programme guide.

The minister says the addition of e-government services has been on the agenda since the initial decision to go digital in 2007, and the manufacturing had to include hardware that would allow interactivity for government services.

The current pricing of the set-top box is under R700, however, the Dzonga cannot give a firm price until the software controls and the hardware costs are assessed. The five million poorest homes will be granted a government subsidy to buy the box.

Nyanda says government has allocated R400 million to set-top box subsidies in the current financial year, which will come from the Universal Access Fund. Nyanda adds that the DOC will work with the Department of Social Development to determine which homes will be eligible for the subsidy.

At the same time, those families must produce a TV licence to prove they own a TV set and can participate in the migration. According to the minister, 87% of South Africans own a TV set.

Government has also put aside R300 million to help subsidise the dual-illumination period, through Sentech. Broadcasters will be expected to run both analogue and digital services until the analogue signal is cut in 2011. “It is one of the reasons we want a short dual-illumination period,” the minister says.