The Department of Communications (DOC) will drop its bid to appeal a South Gauteng High Court ruling and aims to launch digital television this year.
Free-to-air broadcaster etv took the department to court over its May decision to have the state signals provider handle conditional access. The court ruled that broadcasters should control this issue with oversight from the Independent Communications Authority of SA.
The issue of set-top box controls, which government wants to stop grey imports and prevent stolen boxes from being used, held up migration, which was meant to kick off nationally in December. In October, the department successfully soft launched in the Karoo.
Minister Dina Pule says: "I am confident that an agreement between all parties is imminent. This will see the digital terrestrial television (DTT) project gain full traction over the next few weeks." Pule was addressing the 8th Annual Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum in Sandton.
The department and broadcasters met in January in a bid to find a solution to the impasse. The court ruling was problematic for the department as it had not envisaged broadcasters handling controls.
It said that this may mean the establishment of a separate office to deal with the matter and funding issues would become problematic. As a result, it decided to apply for leave to appeal the High Court ruling.
"We are committed to finding a solution that will ensure that we fast-track the process of rolling out DTT. In this regard, I have instructed the Department of Communications to withdraw our appeal against the South Gauteng High Court decision to grant control of the conditional access to free to air broadcasters," Pule says.
Economic driver
Digital television, which is far more efficient than analogue, will free up spectrum in the 800MHz range, the so-called digital dividend. Mobile operators say this frequency is ideal for rolling out broadband in rural areas as it is less capital-intensive.
Pule says unlocking of digital dividend presents the continent with a unique opportunity to allow African economies to boost growth rates. The continent's combined economic growth is projected to be around 5.25% between 2012 and 2013.
"I urge governments in sub-Saharan Africa to prioritise releasing spectrum for mobile broadband. We have the opportunity to ensure that Africa's staggering growth rate maintains and increases the momentum it has had over the last decade. Last year, African ministers agreed to 80% broadband coverage by 2020,"she says.
However, the department has indicated it will not meet the International Telecommunication Union's mid-2015 deadline to turn off analogue as it needs a full three years to migrate. The African region may approach the international body for an extension so that analogue signal continues to be protected and is not subject to interference.
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