JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s long-delayed digital migration process is finally inching forward.
Believe it or not, but this digital migration plan has been in the works for nearly two decades.
These prolonged delays came at a cost.
In December, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi highlighted a near R1.23-billion loss.
He said 467,000 indigent households who registered for government-provided set-top boxes have not received them.
To avert these delays, Malatsi said the department’s Director-General will implement consequence management for individuals responsible for failures within it.
The department has given broadcasters the responsibility to raise awareness and ensure that free-to-air households have access to digital broadcasting signals.
But this is a mammoth task for broadcasters as this move could result in a loss of millions of loyal analogue TV audiences.
As a result, several broadcasters have attempted to stall the switchover.
