TV-owning households in Nzhelele, Limpopo will be the first to receive free set-top boxes (STBs) as the area prepares to switch from analogue to a digital television signal.
This is according to communications minister Faith Muthambi, who says her department has prioritised SA's border-lying areas to be the first to receive STBs and migrate to digital television. The STBs will transmit the digital signal to households with analogue televisions.
"Nzhelele is not far away from the Beitbridge border; we've indicated as government that we are going to prioritise the border-lying areas in order to protect the array and the country from radio signal interference," says Muthambi.
Mishack Molakeng, director: media liaison office of the minister of communications, says the DOC expects the first batch of STBs to be available before the end of the year.
"We expect to roll out about one million set-top boxes along the borderline areas," he adds.
The DOC has also prioritised other areas like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in the Northern Cape, border-lying areas in Mpumalanga, Free State and the North West provinces for the digital migration process.
STB manufacturers
The South African government has committed to provide free STBs to five million poor TV-owning households as the country prepares to switch from analogue to digital television.
However, there has been no clarity when manufacturers can expect orders to be placed for STBs. The DOC has previously said orders for STBs would start "in August 2015".
In April, the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) awarded the R4.3 billion tender for the rollout of the STBs to poor TV households to 26 bidders.
Molakeng was unclear about which manufacturer will be used to produce the STBs, but says USAASA has established a panel of 21 manufacturers for the production of STBs and antennae.
"We are expecting to have the first batch of STBs on the ground towards the end of the year," he says.
SA missed the International Telecommunications Union's 17 June 2015 deadline for all countries to switch from analogue to a digital signal. Last week, Muthambi told Parliament that digital terrestrial television in SA will be implemented in the next 18 to 24 months
Share