The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has repealed its previous digital migration regulations, and placed draft digital terrestrial television regulations on the table for public comment.
SA is set to turn on digital television using the European DVB-T2 standard in April, with full commercial launch scheduled for September.
Analogue broadcast will be turned off at the end of 2013, a year-and-a-half before the International Telecommunications Union stops protecting the outdated signal. Moving to digital television will free up large amounts of spectrum that can be used to increase broadband penetration.
In an explanatory document, published late last week, the authority says the technological standard has changed since it published the previous set of regulations in February last year. At the beginning of this year, SA decided to migrate using DVB-T2 and not its forerunner, DVB-T.
ICASA explains, in a Government Gazette, the new standard is 50% more efficient and it is necessary to “assess the implications of this increase on the allocation of capacity”. It adds that the turnoff timeline places “great pressure” on all stakeholders to put complex systems in place.
The authority says more stations may be licensed before the switch on date. It adds it is necessary to allow stations to apply for channel authorisation before the switch on date.
However, the last set of standards took about two years to complete and was associated with litigation against the authority, causing concern as to whether migration will be delayed.
Members of the public have until 10 November to make written representations.
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