Broadcasting Digital Migration

Original Article: http://www.gov.za/about-government/government-programmes/digital-migration

Minister of Communications Ms Faith Muthambi took the first digital terrestrial television milestone, the households registration process for set-top-boxes, to the Square Kilometre Array community of Keimoes, Kai Garib Municipality, Northern Cape on 2 October 2015. This is being followed by other events around the country.

The first free set-top-boxes were handed over on 17 December.

“This is a very important milestone in the digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration project. This means that households with television sets in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area will now receive fully subsidised set-top-boxes once they have completed the registration process,” said Muthambi at the Keimoes event.

Households in the districts that form part of the SKA radio telescope must visit their local post office from the 1st of October 2015 to apply for a subsidised television decoder.

                                

Background

South Africa has started with the process of migrating broadcasting signals from analogue to digital. This is done as a results of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolution that countries in region 1 (including Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East and the Islamic Republic of Iran) should migrate their broadcasting services from analogue to digital.

The Department of Communications (DoC) on 18 March 2015 gazetted the Amendment of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy, issued under Government Gazette No 31408 on 8 September 2008.

Cabinet has approved the Amendment with the inclusion of the control system in the STB, which will be clearly defined when the policy is published, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe said at the post Cabinet media briefing in Cape Town on Thursday, 5 March 2015.

The issue of whether to include the control system in the STBs has been a source of disagreement amongst free-to air broadcasters for some time now, which impacted negatively on the ability of the country to implement the broadcasting digital television within the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) agreed timelines. The ITU’s agreed deadline for the switch-off of analogue television signals is 17 June 2015.  South Africa did not meet this date.

On 26 June 2015 the North Gauteng High Court dismissed etv’s case to encrypt STBs, among other things, with costs. The court has affirmed that the amendment to the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy as published was in the best interest of the South African television viewers.

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi will soon announce the date for the migration of broadcasting services from analogue to digital. Bilateral Engagements will be concluded with our six neighbouring countries namely, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland in order to minimise cross border radio frequency spectrum interference.

Digital TV migration process needs another review: DoC

Some aspects of the Broadcasting Digital Migration process require detailed review, the Department of Communications has saidBy SANews - March 24, 2015

The Department of Communications (DoC) says certain aspects of the Broadcasting Digital Migration process require detailed review.

This, while acknowledging that there have been processes undertaken by various key role-players prior to the finalisation of the recently amended Broadcasting Digital Migration policy.
According to Acting Director General Donald Liphoko, this will allow government to align it with the final gazetted policy.

The DoC has gazetted the new amended policy No 38583 on the 18th March 2015 and is available on the departmental website www.doc.gov.za and is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za.
The digital migration policy among others, aims for the supply of more than five million digital television set-top boxes for poorer households.

Liphoko explained that following the proclamation issued on the 4th of December 2014, which transfers certain functions in terms of the Electronic Communications Act and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act (ICASA Act), a formal handover process between the DoC and Telecommunications and Postal Services was concluded in January 2015.
One of the programmes handed over to DoC is the Broadcasting Digital Migration.

This programme requires public entities such as Sentech, South African Post Office, Universal Service & Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), ICASA and South African Bureau of Standards to collaborate in the implementation of various critical aspects of the programme.

Liphoko said the DoC, as the lead department in the implementation of the Broadcasting Digital Migration programme, has clearly defined the roles of each entity in the programme implementation plan.

In this light, Liphoko said the comments made by the DTT Programme Head Solly Mokoetle were made within this understanding and context.

Recently USAASA slammed Mokoetle for his comments that the agency’s tender process could be taken away from it as they launched their multibillion-rand tender before a final policy on migration was gazetted.

“Once again the department calls upon all role players to do their part in ensuring swift implementation of the Broadcasting Digital Migration programme.”

Updated List Released: Set Top Box Tender

The lasted round of tenderers have been released for the Request for Proposal (RFP) from Service Providers in respect of Digital Set-Top Box (STB) Production for Local Manufacturing Companies for Government Subsidised TV Owning Households.

See updated list below:

Digital TV Set-Top Box Tender Extended

The Department of Communications (DoC) sent out an e-mail on Friday (24 August 2012) announcing that it had extended the closing date of its tender for South Africa’s subsidised digital TV set-top box (STB).

These decoders, or set-top boxes (STBs), are needed to convert digital television broadcasts to the analogue signals which South African TVs understand.

Around R940-million has been ring-fenced at the Universal Service and Access Agency to subsidise STBs for the poorest in South Africa.

The closing date for the DoC’s Request for Proposal was extended to 14 September 2012, with the following amendments also highlighted:

• The stipulated minimum threshold for local production and content for the STB sector is set at 30%;

• In terms of the revised PPPFA, local content and functionality are a requirement to proceed to the second stage in the bid evaluation process;

• The section on National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP) has been removed. The reason is that where an industry or sector has been designated for local production, NIPP or offset obligation is not a requirement;

• Antennas no longer need to be quoted for.

Interested bidders originally had to collect and sign for a printed copy of the RFP, but the DoC has announced that the revised version of the document will be on its website tomorrow (28 August 2012).

South Africa is set to begin its migration from analogue to digital broadcasting towards the end September 2012, and has agreed with the International Telecommunications Union to switch off its analogue TV transmissions by June 2015.

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/58213-digital-tv-set-top-box-tender-extended.html

Gallery | QEC

Rooivalk Set-Top box Project, Redux .

Who didn't see this coming? Digital TV migration will cost three times as much as first thought, and happen many years later.

See full article here: http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57950:rooivalk-set-top-box-project-redux&catid=69

QEC comments on the article:

Hi Ivo - Your article states it is expected to cost R400 for the STB. DOC had stated for a while that they expect it cost about R700 - a misguided amount still, given the fact that it is more expensive to manufacture in SA, the DOC have also now finalised the inclusion of conditional access, another couple of dollars on that price and the fact that the SA manufacturers will need to pay royalties to Dolby, etc (something not really adhered to in places like Asia...). All the above push the base price up resulting in a market price above R700...

The comment of free market participation is a fair one, but one should consider the dire labour conditions our Asian counterparts work under. In South Africa, our labour force wage rate is negotiated between the manufacturer and the bargaining councils. The wage rate is far higher here, and the indirect costs of leave, work hours, training etc extrapolate those even further. The reason our government has taken this route is to foster growth and development in the manufacturing industry thereby creating employment (higher skills requirement) and ultimately a higher skilled workforce. This (if successful) will show future benefits. So as South Africans, we need to balance the economic benefits of protecting and developing the manufacturing industry vs. the cost to the consumer. -Granted, it is dependent on whether this strategy is successfully executed or not, and only time will tell. Further to this, technology changes (T1 to T2) took place in the middle of government's DTT migration talks... and then the more advanced (and more expensive) DVB-T2 technology was chosen.

Everyone, including myself, believe that this migration process could have been handled differently... but one resounding fact is that this is an enormously intricate task, and with all that has happened, the DTT process is showing signs of successful deployment.

In the interest of positive debate, what would you have done differently to promote a more successful transition?

QEC and the Set Top Box Tender 2012

QEC (Pty) Ltd has positioned itself to manufacture set-top boxes (STBs) locally. Established in 1994, QEC has spent several years growing and developing a successful electronics manufacturing company in South Africa.

Early in 2012, QEC's founder, Paul Soteriou, brought Lereko Investments on board. Lereko is a black-owned, black-led investments company operating in South Africa.  The founding partners, the late Eric Molobi, Valli Moosa and Dr Popo Molefe had a vision of becoming effectively involved in broad-based empowerment in South African business. Shortly after its inception, Dr Lulu Gwagwa joined Lereko as Chief Operating Officer.

Another profound shareholder in QEC is Utembezi (Pty) Ltd, Anitha Soni. Anitha Soni was awarded the much-coveted and prestigious "2002 Business Women of the Year BBQ Award". The BBQ Awards are a benchmark in the progress of empowered South Africa. It recognises achievements in Black Business and honours excellence in 12 Categories, amongst which is Businesswoman of the Year.

QEC then brought on Malibongwe Woman Empowerment Trust as a shareholder. This decision was taken in an effort to advance the empowerment of woman in the electronic industry. QEC views Malibongwe as a strategic partner that will play a vital role in identifying and positioning woman interested in a career in the electronic's industry onto the QEC Training and Development Programme for the roll out of set- top boxes in South Africa.

QEC is hard at work with all its partners in completing the tender submission due on the 31 August 2012. All the partners are exited about the future of the electronics industry in South Africa with the opportunity that set top box manufacturing presents.