Hundreds of overseas delegates representing the worldwide membership of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) witnessed the switching on of South Africa’s digital broadcasting signal on 30 October, just before 1pm. This marks the start of the country’s digital migration, scheduled for completion in November 2011 in line with a Cabinet decision taken in 2007.
The switch-on formed part of the closing Plenary session of the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-08), which took place at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park. This is the first time the WTSA has been held in Africa.
Minister of Communications Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri described South Africa’s digital switch-on as a path to the future. “It is truly a milestone event. The freed up frequency resulting from digital migration will be used for several new TV channels, including three regional channels. We want to hasten the digitisation process so as to be able to use wireless broadband in marginalised areas in the rural sector. Digital migration will help us to make South Africa an information society and to bridge the digital divide.’
South African signal distributor Sentech will switch on the digital signal in limited sites in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. This is the first stage of a phased roll-out which is to cover the country by 2011. Dual illumination, where both analogue and digital signals will be broadcast, will be in action until then.
On 1 November South Africa’s broadcasters (SABC, M-Net and e.tv) will commence their DTT trials in preparation for the commercial launch of digital terrestrial television (DTT), which is to expected to take place in the second part of 2009.
See November issue of Screen Africa for more on South Africa’s digital migration.
