By Emeka Aginam
There appears to be fresh breath of hope for the June 20, 2017 deadline for Nigeria to complete the digital switchover and achieve analogue switch off. It would be recalled that Nigeria could not meet the June 17, 2015 deadline of transiting to digital terrestrial broadcasting set by the International Telecommunications Union as a result of poor funding.
Meanwhile, the June 20, 2017 deadline for the switchover from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) heralded the development of ‘all-digital’ terrestrial broadcast services for sound and television for 119 countries belonging to ITU Region-1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia) and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
But with the new direction and thirty billion fund already secured by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, there are positive signals that Nigeria will meet the high expense elements of the transition. One thing is clear. With the fresh fund secured by NBC through licensing of MTN Nigeria Ltd to use a part of the 700 MHz to provide digital pay TV broadcasting services, Nigeria is in for good thing for DSO.
African countries to benefit
Through this singular move, Nigeria has also pointed the way for other African countries struggling with the effort of finding financing for their own digital switchover programmes. It would be recalled that Nigeria and 51 other African countries could not meet the ITU deadline. The implication is that analogue signals from Nigerian broadcasting stations will not receive protection in the event of interference with or from digital signals from neighbouring countries.
Only four African countries, including Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Rwanda, according to data from ITU completed the switchover to digital terrestrial broadcasting.
NBC new direction
Pointing the way forward, the NBC Director General Emeka Mba in a press conference last week in Lagos told newsmen that when it became obvious that government could not spare the money, and in order to avoid missing another deadline, Commission began to consider other options.
‘’Our broadcast frequency, which is to eventually form part of the
digital dividend after the DSO, had portions of it laying fallow while
our broadcasters were still using parts of it. We therefore proposed and
got proper permission from government to license part of our spectrum
laying fallow and to use the proceeds to finance the DSO.
“We have successfully licensed MTN Nigeria Ltd to use a part of the 700 MHz to provide digital pay TV broadcasting services. We have thus raised 34 Billion Naira, slightly less than 50% of our budget”, he explained.
NBC’s new DSO critical milestones, planned timelines
Set top boxes
According to Mba, off-shore mass production and delivery of initial subvented boxes for Jos pilot project is envisaged to be completed by end of October, while the local manufacture of the set top boxes is expected to begin in April 2016.
Signal transmission infrastructure
The critical activities for this segment, he said included publishing the RFP, concluding the national signal mapping, awarding the transmission MDAs, designating the ITS for Jos and beginning live digital transmission. We plan to be done with these by the end of December, 2015, he added.
Pay TV DAF cash
As part of efforts to ensure the sustainable funding of the national digital terrestrial infrastructure, the government, according to the NBC boss approved a fixed annual service charge payable on all DTT set top boxes and TV sets, this fee known as the Digital Access Fee (DAF) shall also be paid by all current operators on the DTT spectrum.
Channels RFP
By the end of December 2015, he said that NBC intended to have, through due process allocated the Freeviewlicences and launch the Jos pilot channels.
CAS/data centre
“This is part of the brain box of the nation’s digital operations. In this segment we plan to have the building works, the commissioning of the data centre mother integration of the headed and the live deployment of the Central Authentication Service by the first week of November”, he explained.
Contact centre set up
By the end of November 2015, Mba said that NBC plans plan to complete the process of setting up the Contact Centre, which becomes available for all enquiries from members of the public regarding the implementation of the DSO
DSO long term economic impact
When fully completed, Nigeria’s self funding of DSO programme is expected to creates three hundred and twenty billion pa win-win-win for, consumers, receive over 30 new free to air channels per annum for the price of a N1,500 STB and a host of value added services such as news, information and video on demand.
With optimism, he said that a new leading digital economy will be established from the development of a whole TV and content ecosystem, two hundred billion per annum boost from additional advertising, content and Nollywood income streams and development of of high tech STB manufacturing industry.
With this, government , he said is expected to receive one hundred billion income from spectrum sales as well as a thriving digital economy generating at least fifty five thousand highly skilled jobs.
Digital TV broadcasting advantages
Digital TV broadcasting offers many advantages over analogue systems for end-users, operators and regulators. Apart from increasing the number of programmes, digital systems have capacity to provide new innovative services, such as interactive TV, electronic programme guides and mobile TV as well as transmit image and sound in high-definition (HDTV) and ultra-high definition (UHDTV). Digital TV requires less energy to ensure the same coverage as for analogue while decreasing overall costs of transmission.
There appears to be fresh breath of hope for the June 20, 2017 deadline for Nigeria to complete the digital switchover and achieve analogue switch off. It would be recalled that Nigeria could not meet the June 17, 2015 deadline of transiting to digital terrestrial broadcasting set by the International Telecommunications Union as a result of poor funding.
Meanwhile, the June 20, 2017 deadline for the switchover from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) heralded the development of ‘all-digital’ terrestrial broadcast services for sound and television for 119 countries belonging to ITU Region-1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia) and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
But with the new direction and thirty billion fund already secured by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, there are positive signals that Nigeria will meet the high expense elements of the transition. One thing is clear. With the fresh fund secured by NBC through licensing of MTN Nigeria Ltd to use a part of the 700 MHz to provide digital pay TV broadcasting services, Nigeria is in for good thing for DSO.
African countries to benefit
Through this singular move, Nigeria has also pointed the way for other African countries struggling with the effort of finding financing for their own digital switchover programmes. It would be recalled that Nigeria and 51 other African countries could not meet the ITU deadline. The implication is that analogue signals from Nigerian broadcasting stations will not receive protection in the event of interference with or from digital signals from neighbouring countries.
Only four African countries, including Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Rwanda, according to data from ITU completed the switchover to digital terrestrial broadcasting.
NBC new direction
Pointing the way forward, the NBC Director General Emeka Mba in a press conference last week in Lagos told newsmen that when it became obvious that government could not spare the money, and in order to avoid missing another deadline, Commission began to consider other options.
A digital broadcast studio
“We have successfully licensed MTN Nigeria Ltd to use a part of the 700 MHz to provide digital pay TV broadcasting services. We have thus raised 34 Billion Naira, slightly less than 50% of our budget”, he explained.
NBC’s new DSO critical milestones, planned timelines
Set top boxes
According to Mba, off-shore mass production and delivery of initial subvented boxes for Jos pilot project is envisaged to be completed by end of October, while the local manufacture of the set top boxes is expected to begin in April 2016.
Signal transmission infrastructure
The critical activities for this segment, he said included publishing the RFP, concluding the national signal mapping, awarding the transmission MDAs, designating the ITS for Jos and beginning live digital transmission. We plan to be done with these by the end of December, 2015, he added.
Pay TV DAF cash
As part of efforts to ensure the sustainable funding of the national digital terrestrial infrastructure, the government, according to the NBC boss approved a fixed annual service charge payable on all DTT set top boxes and TV sets, this fee known as the Digital Access Fee (DAF) shall also be paid by all current operators on the DTT spectrum.
Channels RFP
By the end of December 2015, he said that NBC intended to have, through due process allocated the Freeviewlicences and launch the Jos pilot channels.
CAS/data centre
“This is part of the brain box of the nation’s digital operations. In this segment we plan to have the building works, the commissioning of the data centre mother integration of the headed and the live deployment of the Central Authentication Service by the first week of November”, he explained.
Contact centre set up
By the end of November 2015, Mba said that NBC plans plan to complete the process of setting up the Contact Centre, which becomes available for all enquiries from members of the public regarding the implementation of the DSO
DSO long term economic impact
When fully completed, Nigeria’s self funding of DSO programme is expected to creates three hundred and twenty billion pa win-win-win for, consumers, receive over 30 new free to air channels per annum for the price of a N1,500 STB and a host of value added services such as news, information and video on demand.
With optimism, he said that a new leading digital economy will be established from the development of a whole TV and content ecosystem, two hundred billion per annum boost from additional advertising, content and Nollywood income streams and development of of high tech STB manufacturing industry.
With this, government , he said is expected to receive one hundred billion income from spectrum sales as well as a thriving digital economy generating at least fifty five thousand highly skilled jobs.
Digital TV broadcasting advantages
Digital TV broadcasting offers many advantages over analogue systems for end-users, operators and regulators. Apart from increasing the number of programmes, digital systems have capacity to provide new innovative services, such as interactive TV, electronic programme guides and mobile TV as well as transmit image and sound in high-definition (HDTV) and ultra-high definition (UHDTV). Digital TV requires less energy to ensure the same coverage as for analogue while decreasing overall costs of transmission.
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