Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda announced the new members of the Digital Dzonga Advisory Council, but analysts are not convinced of the effect they'll have on the country meeting the digital TV switch-over deadline.
The 15-member council will advise the minister on and oversee the process of migrating SA's analogue broadcasting services to digital technology, known as digital terrestrial television (DTT), says the Department of Communications (DOC).
The Digital Doznga was launched in July last year. However, Nyanda dissolved the council in April, saying there was a conflict of interest, as it was made up of industry representatives.
At the time, Nyanda told the 12-member council he had received a report of a possible conflict of interest involving some members, resulting from the fact that most members of the Dzonga either had direct or indirect interest in the industry.
The minister felt the department should not be compromised as a result of the conflict of interest and the council was dissolved “with a view to reconstitute it urgently”.
SA is in the midst of a “dual-illumination” period, as it prepares to switch from analogue broadcasting to digital, and has been testing digital broadcast systems in preparation for turning off the old analogue signal. The original go-live date was set for November next year, well ahead of the global switchover set for November 2015.
However, several factors have delayed the process, the latest hurdle being government's exploration of the Brazilian digital broadcasting standard over the European one, which it had decided on in 2006. Due to the review of this decision no new go-live date has yet been set.
“SADIBA [Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association] welcomes and congratulates the 15 new appointees who come from diverse backgrounds in the industry [but] the advisory body is just an advisory body, which, I think, is a concern. This is because they can only advise and can't make decisions,” says Dave Hagen, deputy chairman of SADIBA.
He adds that if any progress is to be made, the director-general and the minister of communications need to take into consideration the expertise of the new council members and adhere to their advice.
WWW Strategy MD Steven Ambrose says that, although the members come from good backgrounds for the task, they have been set up with an incredibly difficult job in the time allocated.
Meet the members
The DOC says: “The call for nominations was made in April 2010 and 51 names were submitted for consideration. This list included nominees from a variety of backgrounds, such as regulatory, signal distribution, legal, broadcasting, labour, consumer groups and Government.”
The department says the chairperson of the council is professor Mamokgethi Setati, and the deputy chairperson is Ruddy Rashama, CEO of Khemano Productions.
Other members are Nomvuyiso Batyi, Dingane Dube, Calvo Mawela, Karen Willenberg, Zubair Munshi, Sabelo Silinga, Richard Paulton, advocate Cawekazi Mahlati, Llewellyn Jones, Julia Hope, Masodi Xaba, Hlukanisa Zitha, and Rosey Sekese from the DOC.
The department says the members have been appointed for a five-year term.
Can do
Hagen previously said SA has yet to set a start-up date for digital migration and, if all stakeholders do not show enthusiasm and pull in the same direction, the country will miss the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) target of 2015.
Commenting on a Balancing Act report, which reveals that more than half of Africa's 52 countries are poised to miss the 2015 ITU deadline, Hagen said since the unbundling of the Digital Dzonga, there had not been any progress on the transition as it left a void in the process of digital migration.
“In terms of moving to digital terrestrial television (DTT), SA has not gone anywhere; we have been working on it for the past seven years, but nothing has materialised so far,” says Hagen.
However, he says the country might beat the 2015 deadline if all stakeholders showed enthusiasm in the digital switch. “If the minister of communications gives a start-up date, SA can beat the ITU target.
“2015 is a challenge. Before anything starts I believe we'll be in 2011, which gives us four and a half years. It's a challenge, but it could be achieved if there is cooperation from all stakeholders, if content is attractive enough to get 9.1 million households and if set-top boxes are cost effective enough. Also, there needs to be a fantastic communications system in place so that everything can start off on a good footing this time. It can be done.”
Ambrose says the previous council was more a great idea than an effective advisory grouping. “They have been incredibly ineffective.”
Of the new council Ambrose says: “It is now critical that they do something. Whether they do or don't is up for debate. Only time will tell.”
Karen Willenberg, M-Net regulatory director, says the Dzonga had been put in place to manage what is a complicated and costly process. About 9.1 million South African households with televisions will have to be migrated from analogue signal to digital.
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