DIGITAL MIGRATION LOOMING

While most Free Staters are still in the dark about digital migration, the process is going full steam ahead in order to meet its 2015 deadline.

The Department of Communications (DoC) and industry role players are doing everything in their power to ensure that South Africa meets the 2015 digital migration deadline.

Under an agreement with the International Telecommunications Union, South Africa has until 2015 to complete the migration, which entails that the analogue signal, through which most households are receiving television broadcasts, be switched off and a digital signal be activated.

This implies that about 10 million households will need decoders to continue watching television once the outdated analogue signal is turned off towards the end of 2014.
It is anticipated that such a device will cost R700.

According to the DoC, an externally mounted antenna will be required. This means that some households may also have to invest in a new antenna for digital television.

Communications Minister Dina Pule announced recently that the migration from analogue broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT), which was scheduled to start in April, has been delayed until the third quarter.
Government anticipates turning on the digital broadcast in September.

The DoC announced last month that over 60 percent of South Africa’s population is covered by the DVB-T2 digital broadcasting network currently being rolled out by state-owned signal distributor Sentech.
“Sentech’s achievement is momentous as it represents a significant milestone in the digital migration process. Without a digital network of transmitters, we will never be able to take the country into the new exciting future of digital broadcasting,” said Pule.

According to Sentech, it had covered 96 percent of Gauteng, 92 percent of the North West, 73 percent of the Western Cape, 33 percent of Mpumalanga, 31 percent of the Eastern Cape, 46 percent of the Free State, 30 percent of the Northern Cape, 45 percent of KwaZulu-Natal, and 59 percent of Limpopo as of March 31.

The DoC has also met with industry players to discuss manufacturing set-top boxes (STBs) for poorer households.

To this end, government has set aside R2.45-billion to subsidise about 70 percent of five million boxes for these households.

The Weekly took the streets of Bloemfontein to find out what people think about the digital migration.

Nkosinathi Ndlovu from Grassland said he has heard about DTT.

“Frankly, I feel for the poor people out there. The R700 that we are supposed to pay is just too much. I just wish that the public had been consulted about this.”

Piet Mtawa from Bochabela did not know about digital migration.

“What is that? There is no way I am willing to pay so much to watch TV. I am already paying my TV license and TV instalments. I would rather be cut off!”

Kenosi Ramatiisa from Rocklands also complained about the costs.

“I have heard about digital migration. I just did not know that I am required to pay R700. The amount is too much for me, considering that I pay my TV instalments, DStv, and TV licence.”
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa) consumer education and awareness specialist, Keke Mulutsi, explained that older television sets will require the STBs but newer models with a digital tuner will be sufficient to receive the signal.

“These are the TV sets that will be able to receive the digital signal.  The hi-end decoders offered by DStv will also be sufficient for this.”

Until now, television and radio signals have been broadcast on an analogue platform. Analogue television requires a large amount of bandwidth to transmit the picture and sound information.

Digital signals, on the other hand, require much less bandwidth and up to nine times as much digital information can be carried on the same bandwidth.

The result is a brighter, sharper picture and much better sound quality similar to the difference between playing an old video cassette and a DVD.

“If you have an antenna on top of your roof, then you are receiving an analogue signal. DStv, which requires a satellite dish, uses a digital signal to transfer the data. The main difference is that the digital signal can carry more data than the analogue signal.

“With analogue, the audio is transmitted via FM and the video is transmitted via AM, just like a radio signal.  The digital signal is transferred as data packets.  So, the quality is much higher because the audio and video components that make up TV reaches you at the same time and can carry more data,” Mulutsi explained.

The digital stream also takes up less space in the airwaves. The space needed in the past for just one analogue channel can now carry five, six, or seven different programmes. This means greater choice for digital viewers.
He said digital television has many other advantages.

“Many of your favourite programmes are in true widescreen on digital channels – something analogue TV cannot do properly. We can also expect more television channels to open.  Whether we will be getting a higher quality content offering is still a big question.

“We might actually see some great local productions that had no platform previously.”

Mulutsi also said digital television is more interactive.

“By using your remote control, you can access all kinds of information. Digital text is much clearer than the old teletext system, and ‘enhanced TV’ gives you the added enjoyment of related information running alongside the programme you are watching.”

The migration process is also expected to boost economic development.

Pule said migration is expected to facilitate the entry of about 1 000 small and medium companies into the electronics manufacturing sector. About 23 500 jobs should be created in the set-top box supply chain.
Meanwhile, JSE-listed Allied Technologies (Altech) has said it is well positioned to manufacture STBs locally.

“They [the DoC] require one million of the STBs before November of this year, and they will place the order for the remaining four million STBs in January or February of next year,” CEO Craig Venter told Engineering News.
He added that a further 30 million STBs will be required for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.