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

      The little-known company disrupting Eskom’s monopoly

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      Chief sub-editor wanted – help shape South African tech media

      16 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 » Gov’t to abandon digital TV project

    Gov’t to abandon digital TV project

    By Olaf Proil31 March 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Faith Muthambi
    Faith Muthambi

    Communications minister Faith Muthambi said in a statement early on Wednesday morning that government has decided to abandon South Africa’s digital migration project.

    This follows years of wrangling over the switchover from analogue to digital television. South Africa agreed to the process with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2006.

    The shock move, which has caught the broadcasting and telecommunications industries off guard, would save government billions of rand that otherwise would have been spent on subsidising set-top boxes.

    South Africa would become the first country in the world to abandon the move to digital television.

    “Seeing that none of our neighbouring countries has switched over to digital television, we have taken a decision to ignore the 17 June 2015 ITU deadline and remain with analogue television for the foreseeable future,” Muthambi said. “The government will save billions that can be used in better ways, like funding the SABC.”

    She said the decision also neatly fixes the ongoing war between broadcasters over whether government-subsidised set-top boxes would contain encryption. “This solves the debate — there won’t be any set-top boxes and so there is no need for encryption.”

    Most neighbouring countries have yet to complete the digital migration process and will not be in a position to interfere with South Africa’s analogue signal, she said.

    Telecoms operators, which had wanted access to the “digital dividend” broadcasters would have freed up by moving to digital technology, have expressed outrage at government’s decision, saying they would now have to repurpose more of their existing spectrum allocations for data at the expense of voice services and cancel investments in new infrastructure.

    “We may even have to switch off our 3G and 4G networks altogether and revert solely to offering GPRS and Edge data connectivity because of this,” a source at one of the companies complained.

    In a phone interview with TechCentral on 1 April, Muthambi warned mobile operators against using spectrum that has not been allocated to them. “They have enough spectrum,” she said. “They must just use it better than they are.”

    She reiterated that government would not back down from its decision.

    “The poor just want TV and don’t care whether it’s digital or analogue,” she said. “They just want to watch Generations, Muvhango, Isidingo and the SABC news. They don’t need digital for that.”

    Government’s shock move has also been greeted with dismay by set-top box manufacturers, which had been hoping a tender to produce more than 5m boxes for poorer households would have helped kick-start the local electronics manufacturing sector.

    “They must be joking,” was all one prospective set-top box manufacturer would say when asked for comment on the decision.  — © 2015 NewsCentral Media

    • This was TechCentral’s April Fool’s Day article for 1 April 2015. Were you caught out?


    Faith Muthambi ITU
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleDeadlock in Telkom labour talks
    Next Article SABC salary bill to balloon by R100m

    Related Posts

    Nigeria leads global summit to protect submarine cables from sabotage

    28 February 2025

    6G is coming – and it could change everything

    13 February 2024

    No evidence that 5G poses a health risk: Icasa

    6 April 2020
    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.