SA’s commercial broadcasters have welcomed communications minister Roy Padayachie’s announcement on Friday that SA will adopt the second generation of the European standard for digital terrestrial television.

Padayachie made the announcement at a media conference on Friday morning, confirming earlier TechCentral reports that the country would adopt the standard.

The Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association (Sadiba), an industry body, has called government’s decision “visionary”. Sadiba says the standard, known as DVB-T2, will deliver “benefits to consumers while securing the value of investments in networks and home receivers well into the future”.

E.tv, the free-to-air broadcaster says it also supports Padayachie’s decision. Group chief operating officer Bronwyn Keene-Young says the DVB family of standards offers the “most effective basis for the delivery of terrestrial television in SA”.

E.tv and M-Net have been running trials in Soweto using DVB-T2 technology. “SA will be adopting the latest technology available,” Keene-Young says.

The broadcaster says that now that a decision has been made, certain technical specifications need to be amended and a conformance scheme put into place.

Broadcasters must also develop channels and get regulatory approval to launch them.

Set-top box manufacturer Altech, meanwhile, says government’s decision is “positive for the industry and the economy”.

“We believe the decision fits well with the stated national objective of creating policies that encourage innovation and the development of local intellectual property,” says Altech CEO Craig Venter.

Altech owns UEC, the country’s largest manufacturer of set-top boxes and digital decoders.

“Padayachie has only been in his new post as minister of communications for a short while and already he is making a positive impact on the industry,” Venter says. “His appointment has brought sanity to the table and bodes well for the future.” — Staff reporter, TechCentral