Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Public money, private plans: MPs demand Post Office transparency

      13 June 2025

      Coal to cash: South Africa gets major boost for energy shift

      13 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      10 red flags for Apple investors

      13 June 2025
    • World

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025

      Qualcomm shows off new chip for AI smart glasses

      11 June 2025

      Trump tariffs to dim 2025 smartphone shipments

      4 June 2025

      Shrimp Jesus and the AI ad invasion

      4 June 2025

      Apple slams EU rules as ‘flawed and costly’ in major legal pushback

      2 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025

      South Africa unveils big state digital reform programme

      12 May 2025

      Is this the end of Google Search as we know it?

      12 May 2025
    • TCS

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025

      TCS | Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus

      3 June 2025

      TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround

      28 May 2025
    • Opinion

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025

      Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

      29 May 2025

      Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

      14 April 2025

      Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

      9 April 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » ANC could force about-turn on TV encryption

    ANC could force about-turn on TV encryption

    By Duncan McLeod12 October 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Faith Muthambi
    Faith Muthambi

    Communications minister Faith Muthambi came in for a lashing from the ANC at the weekend for defying party policy on the encryption of digital terrestrial television signals, Business Day reported on Monday.

    The newspaper said the ruling party could force Muthambi to reverse her policy, which states that broadcast signals for digital TV will not be encrypted.

    Earlier this year, Muthambi reversed government’s previous policy, developed by former communications minister Yunus Carrim, who had attempted to craft a compromise policy, but one in which encryption was still mandated for government-subsidised TV set-top boxes.

    ANC communications subcommittee chairman Jackson Mthembu said on Sunday at a press conference following the party’s national general council meeting in Midrand that Muthambi had failed to discuss her final policy on digital migration with her colleagues in the party, Business Day reported.

    “The ANC want to sit down with the minister and hear from her why she decided on this policy,” Mthembu reportedly said. “Our interest is to protect the public broadcaster and to make sure that people who do not have access to pay-TV do not receive an inferior service.”

    At the heart of the encryption debate is a battle between commercial broadcasters e.tv and MultiChoice. The former wants encryption, saying it’s vital to support free-to-air broadcasters’ future success as it would allow them to get access to superior content. The latter argues, among other things, that if government subsidises set-top boxes with encryption, it will amount to unfair competition in that prospective rival pay-TV operators will be able to use the platform without incurring the high cost of first deploying their own set-top box infrastructure.

    If the ANC forces Muthambi to change the broadcasting digital migration policy, it could lead to more delays in the already long-delayed migration process, which is holding up the allocation of spectrum to telecommunications operators.

    Telecoms providers need the spectrum in the “digital dividend” bands currently utilised by broadcasters to expand their broadband networks. Already, South Africa has missed the June 2015 deadline, agreed to with the International Telecommunication Union, to switch off analogue TV broadcasts.

    Last month, TechCentral reported that e.tv has filed an application for leave to appeal a judgment by the high court that went against it in the ongoing battle over whether South Africa’s digital terrestrial television signal will be encrypted or not.

    In June, the court stated that amendments to South Africa’s broadcasting digital migration policy, gazetted in March, will remain in force. The judgment was a significant victory for Muthambi and for MultiChoice.  — © 2015 NewsCentral Media



    e.tv Faith Muthambi Jackson Mthembu MultiChoice Yunus Carrim
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleAltron’s year of expensive lessons
    Next Article Acting CEO steps down from Post Office

    Related Posts

    MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

    12 June 2025

    MultiChoice’s TV empire shrinks – but its ‘side hustles’ are holding strong

    12 June 2025

    MultiChoice is bleeding subscribers

    11 June 2025
    Company News

    Huawei Watch Fit 4 Series: smarter sensors, sharper design, stronger performance

    13 June 2025

    Change Logic and BankservAfrica set new benchmark with PayShap roll-out

    13 June 2025

    SAPHILA 2025 – transcending with purpose, connection and AI-powered vision

    13 June 2025
    Opinion

    Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

    2 June 2025

    South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

    2 June 2025

    Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

    29 May 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.