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

      Legislative overhaul on the cards for South Africa’s ICT sector

      14 July 2025

      The 1940s visionary who imagined the Information Age

      14 July 2025

      Trump tariffs could wreck South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing industry

      14 July 2025

      Microsoft South Africa to get new MD as Lillian Barnard moves to regional role

      14 July 2025

      Zuckerberg used open source to scale AI – now the lock-in begins

      14 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

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

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • 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
      • SevenC
      • 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 » More delays hit digital TV programme

    More delays hit digital TV programme

    By Agency Staff10 September 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Andrew Fraser
    Andrew Fraser

    The delay in the switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) is symptomatic of the government’s ineffective implementation of policy, says an analyst.

    Department of communications programme manager Solly Mokoetle told a joint meeting of parliamentary committees last month that orders are imminent for set-top boxes (STBs).

    STBs are the devices required for decoding digital signals for analogue television sets.

    “The programme manager of the DTT programme told a joint meeting of three parliamentary committees on 11 August that the orders for the STBs would be placed with suppliers ‘this month’,” said Andrew Fraser, former marketing head of Sony Mobile and TV show producer.

    “True to form, that hasn’t happened, and the longer it is delayed, the longer until the actual switch-over,” Fraser said.

    Department of communications representatives were unwilling to comment about whether orders have started yet.

    The roll-out of STBs is a key part of government’s policy to migrate to DTT — a process that would free up the 800MHz spectrum for faster mobile broadband in SA.

    Despite policy dating back to 2008, SA is yet to complete the switch-over, and the country missed the international Telecommunication Union deadline (ITU) of June 2015.

    “Any further delay is really unforgivable. Government has indicated that the process should be completed within two years. That seems unlikely. The longer this process takes, the longer it will be before the 800MHz spectrum is available for other uses,” Fraser said.

    Fraser also said satellite technology could be considered an alternative.

    “The process has gone on for so long that it is debatable whether digital terrestrial television is even the best solution. The increase in available satellite bandwidth means that it would probably cheaper to roll out a DVB-S2 (digital satellite) solution than the DTT solution.

    “The free-to-air OVHD platform set-top box and dish are currently selling for less than the estimates of the cost of the locally produced DVB-T2 STBs with antenna,” he said.

    More than 20 South African companies are set to benefit from a STB tender estimated to be worth R4,3bn, but Fraser warned that the attempt to use DTT as a boost to grow the local manufacturing industry could backfire.

    “The fact is that the local industry will not be competitive with the Chinese, and the programme likely will just be a taxpayer subsidy to an uncompetitive industry. There are 26 different STB manufacturers identified, meaning that each will get a government order for around 200 thousand units.”

    Fraser argued that the most effective way for government to recoup capital expenditure is to auction off mobile broadband spectrum.

    “The real return on investment on the process is the digital dividend of spectrum in the 800MHz and 700MHz bands. Government may auction off licences in this spectrum, which may help to recover some of the wasted money on the DTT process,” he said.  — Fin24



    Andrew Fraser Solly Mokoetle
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticlePast, present and future of SA telecoms
    Next Article Picture essay: meet Homo naledi

    Related Posts

    Payola for powerships: Social media influencers’ big payday

    17 May 2021

    Is 5G all mouth and no trousers?

    11 March 2019

    Analysis shows impact of MTN pulling plug on free Twitter

    8 October 2018
    Company News

    Obsidian Systems makes the case for Linux in modern infrastructure

    14 July 2025

    Banking on LEO: Q-KON transforms financial services connectivity

    14 July 2025

    The future of business calling: Voys brings your landline to the cloud

    14 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 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.