South Africa's switch-over and transition from analogue TV broadcasts to digital television or digital terrestrial television (DTT) in a process known as digital migration - has been delayed indefinitely.
I've just read through the two new documents of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) that was just published in the Government Gazette. The first document is the new, and final Digital Migration Regulations. The second document is an additional Reasons Document on Digital Migration for South Africa - both compiled by Icasa.
South Africa's switch-over is basically delayed because of the department of communications who is responsible for manufacting process and distribution of the set-top boxes (STB) that will be needed to receive digital broadcasts during the process of dual illumination when broadcasters such as the SABC, e.tv and M-Net will have to broadcast both their current analogue signal, as well as a parallel digital one.
I can tell you all about the new and final regulations - and what it ALL MEANS. If you want that insight, click on READ MORE below.
South Africa's transition from analogue to digital television broadcasts will be delayed with at least a year and a half because the South African television industry is not ready and neither is the digital set-top boxes STB's that would be needed to watch digital broadcasts.
The national switch-over to DTT that was supposed to happen by November 2011, will now probably only be completed by November 2013 - or even later.
Icasa calls the final and new set of regulations governing South Africa's digital TV migration process the Digital Migration Regulations. In a separate ''reasons'' document that it also just published, the South African communications authority outlines its reasons, as well as some of the reasoning behind some of the amendments in the final document from the third DTT draft regulations.
In the new regulations Icasa says a new and final date will still be determined and published in future.
Normal TV viewers will -during the process known as ''dual illumination'' during which there will be the normal analogue signal as well as the parallel digital signal - have to acquire a STB to get the new signal.
Icasa says the department of communication is not yet ready with the STB process. The department of communication is responsible for managing the STB manufacturing process, as well as the STB distribution plan. The department of communication has also not yet said a work on how it plans to go about the subsidization process. Cabinet has already approved R2,45 billion to subsidize the poorest households and help them buy a STB.
The department of communications has not yet said who would quality as poor, how the subsidy would practically work or how the distribution process will work. A STB is estimated to cost between R400 and R700 each.
In the regulations Icasa says the DTT migration process has to be postponed ''given the delays which have been experienced by the department in this process and the likelihood that STBs will not be widely available before the previously proposed start date of the performance period''.
Icasa only promises to ''give notice of the commencement date [of dual illumination] no less than 60 days prior to that date''.
