The convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting, how satellite can aid the digital migration process, and the liberalisation of broadcasting in Africa were some of the topics under discussion at the Special Focus Day of the Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum in Johannesburg on 29 January. Presented by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), the Forum runs at the Intercontinental Sandton Sun & Towers until 1 February.
Talking about the future of broadcasting in Africa, Chairperson of the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SADIBA) Lynn Mansfield said that although the primary focus was on enabling technology for digital migration, serious consideration needed to be given to those people who don’t have access to either radio or television.
“So when talking about digital migration, we need to see what to do about people who currently have no broadcast service access. In South Africa nine million people don’t have any access to terrestrial television, while over five million people don’t have radio. The big challenge is to convert analogue signals to digital and we have three years to do this in South Africa, with the analogue switch off scheduled for 1 November 2011. It would be a sad day if the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted in Africa, couldn’t be watched by African TV viewers.
“In South Africa the Department of Communications (DoC) has taken a key role by setting up the Digital Migration Working Group (DMWG) which led to a Draft Policy on digital migration. We are awaiting the final policy. Because there is extensive use in South Africa of the UHF and VHF bands, there is very little room to accommodate digital. Only after the analogue switch off will there be a glut of digital channels.”
Mansfield noted that at the World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva late last year, a number of TV frequencies were allocated to mobile services. “So telecommunications is being introduced into TV. I think this is a good decision. We will see the introduction of a lot of new services, which will mean more competition for existing players. It will be interesting to see what impact South Africa’s decisions regarding digital migration will have on its immediate neighbours like Swaziland and Lesotho.”
The digital broadcasting signal requires a set top box (STB) to decode it. Said Mansfield: “The specifications of the STB to be used in South Africa still have to be finalised, as well as the cost of the unit. It would be useful to have a common box that could receive all digital services (ie.both free to air and conditional access). However, I don’t think that terrestrial and satellite signals can be decoded on the same box. As to the cost of the STB, out of eight million television households in South Africa, four million won’t be able to afford decoders. So the DMWG has suggested to government that it consider subsidising some of the STBs.
“Then there is the issue of this beast called the multiplexer – because digital broadcasting allows six services on a single frequency, you need a multiplexer to convert all these into a single signal. So, who is going to manage the multiplexer and who will regulate it? These are questions that need to be answered.”
Mansfield noted that public broadcaster SABC had applied to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for permission to erect low power transmitters in remote areas of South Africa, such as the Kalahari, and towns that are 120kms apart.
See full report on the Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum in the March issue of Screen Africa.
