ICASA tunes into digital migration

Johannesburg, 06 Feb 2007

The nationwide migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television poses many challenges, but offers advantages and opportunities reaching far beyond simply getting better television reception, says Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) chairman Paris Mashile.

ICASA says it will oversee the process, and ensure the needs of all citizens are taken into account.

"Let me put it on record that ICASA will do everything in its power to support the commitment made by the South African government to the International Telecoms Union to ensure that by 2015 the digital broadcasting switchover is successfully completed.

"Digital technologies have revolutionised communications," Mashile told delegates at a recent conference. "They mitigate the age-old argument for the regulation of the frequency spectrum: that the frequency spectrum is a scarce and limited resource."

From a regulatory perspective, he added, the digitisation of broadcasting services raises critical issues, especially in terms of promoting the public interest, making sure of universal access and service, providing money for customers, and helping to bring about socio-economic development.

"From the regulator's viewpoint, the abundant frequency spectrum can now be deployed to meet a variety of pressing national development goals - like nation building, fostering democratic values, strengthening and promoting cultural diversity and bridging the digital divide."

Rainbow nation

On terrestrial networks, six or more services can be multiplexed in the bandwidth provided for a single analogue service, said Mashile.

"Analogue infrastructure made it difficult to meet the needs of the country's cultural and linguistic groups. With a multi-channel environment, SA's pluralistic society should be able to express itself, and receive content in their different languages."

Digital technologies will also support new services such as high-definition TV and mobile TV (DVB-H), noted Mashile. He added that DVB-H trials have been a success.

"When the advertising cake and the subscriber base grow with rising disposable income, SA should see the introduction of more commercial [broadcasting] services at both regional and local levels," he pointed out.

However, Mashile was vague on the question of set-top boxes (which will be necessary to convert the digital signal into a format playable on existing analogue televisions), and their likely level of affordability.

"Appropriate measures need to be in place for the most vulnerable consumers who may face losing television services at switchover," he commented. Mashile did not elaborate on what these measures would be.