BREAKING. South African government to give a final answer on South Africa's digital terrestrial standard within a month.

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The newly appointed minister of communications Roy Padayachie promised the South African television industry clarity and a final answer within a month - December 11 - on what South Africa digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard will be.

The South African television industry has been shocked when the department of communications earlier this year - led by the now removed former minister of communications Siphiwe Nyanda - suddenly backtracked on the South African government's officially agreed DTT standard confirmed in 2006 of the European-based digital video broadcasting standard DVB-T.

The department suddenly said it might opt for and is entertaining the Brazilian supported International System for Digital Broadcast (ISDB-Tb) of Japan. South African broadcasters have already invested more than R250 million in DVB-T trials and is unanimously lobbying and supporting DVB-T. South Africa is also already far behind its schedule for the switchover to DTT broadcasts, a process known as digital migration largely due to government ineptitude and a lack of leadership.

''Within a month from now we will pronounce on the country's position in relation to the digital terrestrial television standard,'' Roy Padayachie says in a press statement issued by the department of communications a few hours ago. ''The finalization of this matter will assist in accelerating the implementation of broadcasting digital migration in South Africa.''

''Digital migration remains a key project of the department of communications. With regard to the implementation of the digital migration policy in South Africa, our programme will focus on finalizing the set-top box manufacturing strategy, the scheme for ownership support for poor TV owning households and the local and digital content development strategy. We envisage that this will be submitted to cabinet for approval during the first quarter of 2011,'' says Roy Padayachie.

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