The Department of Communications is set to move R44.4 million from the 112 call centre project and spend it on digital TV awareness.
The reprioritisation of funds from the 112 call centres to awareness around digital TV is contained in Treasury's Adjusted Estimates of National Expenditure document, released today along with the mid-term budget.
However, only the legislature may approve the funding in terms of the Public Finance Management Act.
SA will launch digital TV commercially in December after turning on a pilot phase earlier this month in the Northern Cape, near Kimberley.
The country is migrating to digital TV using the European DVB-T2 standard, which is more efficient than its predecessor, and will improve the viewing experience and free spectrum for more broadband services.
SA had previously agreed, along with other Southern African Development Community (SADC) members, to migrate by the end of next year. The International Telecommunications Union will cease protection of analogue signal in mid-2015.
However, the department has previously indicated the country will not meet the SADC deadline, as there is not enough time to complete the work and there are funding constraints. In August, it said it had a R7 billion shortfall to fund before migration can be completed.
The lack of funding impacts the subsidy of set-top boxes and Sentech's dual-illumination period. The DOC needs subsidies to the tune of R2.635 billion, over and above the R940 million ring-fenced at the Universal Service and Access Agency SA.
Cabinet set aside R2.45 billion several years ago to subsidise 70% of boxes for about five million houses.
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