The Department of Communications has set June 2015 as the deadline to begin digital migration, but has offered no guidelines as to when the process should be completed.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, says the department has a responsibility of ensuring that South Africans migrate from the analogue to digital world, with the help of media and government communicators.
She says that once Cabinet has approved the digital migration policy, media and government communicators should be ready to roll out the programme to create public awareness.
Through digital migration, South Africa will switch from analogue to digital as a means of broadcasting TV and radio signals. Digital migration will see television being able to carry more channels and access to TV being improved for people, no matter where they are in the country.
Once the policy is approved, it will be rolled out through the SABC, Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), Brand SA and the Films and Publication Board, all of whom are entities under the Department of Communications.
“Come June 2015, we would have started the process. It is our responsibility to make sure that everybody in this country has access to broadband,” Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams says.
She did not give a deadline for full implementation, saying a number of processes had to unfold, including raising public awareness and explaining how this is going to impact people’s lives.