Rwanda has become the second country in sub-Saharan Africa, after Tanzania, to complete migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television. The nation switched off analogue broadcasts on Thursday night, while South Africa hasn’t even started commercial digital services.
The New Times, a Rwandan daily newspaper, reported on Thursday that the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura) had said that 70% of all people with TV sets — or about 141 260 households — had acquired decoders.
A further 27% did not yet have the equipment needed to pick up the digital signal, the newspaper quoted a Rura official as saying.
The four-phase switchover started in January and ended on 31 July.
In 2008, following the deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency decided to digitise its network in plenty of time.
Digital coverage now reaches the vast majority of Rwandan citizens.
Four companies, Tele 10, Sorim, TransAfrica and Star Africa Media, were licensed to import set-top boxes.
South Africa, meanwhile, is falling behind many other countries in the region. It has yet to commence commercial digital services and most industry analysts believe it won’t meet the ITU deadline of mid-June 2015 to complete the process. — © 2014 NewsCentral Media