Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Pinky Kekana says her department is addressing challenges regarding the process of digital migration.
Kekana was visiting Senekal in the Free State to inspect the status of broadcasting digital migration in the area.
Poor installation has led to set top boxes losing signal.
The Free State is the first province to switch from analogue to digital.
The Deputy Minister says a new installation contractor will be appointed and there will be a local call centre to assist with challenges.
“The issue of the availability of the spectrum also depends on the migration. So there must be smooth sailing of these things. There are areas where if we can avail the spectrum quickly. Certain things among the spectrum will move quickly. We are all hands on deck and we will be able to make sure that South Africa is not left behind,” adds Kekana.
In the video, deputy minister Kekana says challenges faced by digital migration are hindering the issuing of spectrum:
Earlier this year, former Communications Minister Yunus Carrim blamed MultiChoice and its holding company, Naspers, for stalling Digital Migration in the country.
He appeared before the State Capture Inquiry on February 25, 2019.
Carrim accused the media giant of standing in the way of regulations.
This relates to a contract signed with the SABC in 2013, stipulating that the public broadcaster couldn’t support the encryption of set-top boxes for DTT.
In the video, Yunus Carrim blamed MultiChoice, Naspers for stalling Digital Migration:
In 2019, Government said it was working hard to fast track digital migration for the country’s broadcasting industry.
Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said a new model is being developed to spearhead the process.
In the video, Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams reiterates government’s focus on digital migration:
