Cabinet’s decision to adopt the DVB-T2 (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2) digital terrestrial television standard for South Africa is being contested by the National Association of Manufacturers in Electronics Components (Namec), according to Business Report.
A grouping of black manufacturers, Namec is aligning itself with labour unions to tackle parliament on the DVB-T2 issue. Like former minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda, Namec wants the Japanese standard, ISDB-T (Integrated Services Data Broadcasting-Terrestrial), to be adopted in South Africa. ISDB-T is in use in Japan and Brazil only.
Namec’s stance is that DVB-T2, a European standard, will only benefit local broadcasters e.tv and M-Net and decoder manufacturers Altech and Reunert, all of which have been involved in extensive digital terrestrial television trials using DVB-T2 and its forerunner, DVB-T.
