DoC committed to speedy STB tender
The Department of Communications (DoC) says it is discussing ways to ensure that the digital set-top-box manufacturing tender is finalised without delay.
The tender process potentially faces yet another set-back after the Department of Communications announced yesterday (14 January) that communications minister Dina Pule would appeal a South Gauteng High Court ruling in favour of e-tv.
The terrestrial tv channel initiated court action against Pule after she assigned responsibility for the hotly debated “set-top box (STB) control” system to state-owned Sentech, rather than free-to-air broadcasters (SABC, e-tv).
According to e-tv, Pule had no mandate to make such a decision unilaterally, adding that it was understood that the administration of the STB Control system would reside with them and the SABC.
Set-top-boxes are necessary to translate the new digital TV signal (using the DVB-T2 standard) into something existing analogue TVs can display.
In a statement issued on Monday (15 January), the DoC said it met with the SABC, etv and other free to air broadcasters to consider the implications of implementing the South Gauteng High Court decision.
The decision grants broadcasters the right to control conditional access in state-subsidised set-top boxes, subject to ICASA’s authority.
“As per the court decision, the implementation of digital migration could be delayed by up to three years if stakeholders do not manage the matter with the necessary care and urgency.”
“Such a scenario would mean that South Africa would only implement digital migration long after the International Telecommunication Union deadline of June 2015,” the DoC noted.
Dina Pule Digital TV
According to the department, the parties agreed to consider all options available in order to ensure a speedy implementation of the digital migration programme.
“These discussions centred on finding ways that will deliver set-top-boxes to the market and deliver much needed jobs this year. Broadcasters agreed to make their independent recommendations to the DoC by 28 January 2013.
“Among the proposals the parties are considering are ways of ensuring that the set-top-box manufacturing tender, which is affected by the high court decision, is finalised without delay; with due regard to the National Treasury regulations,” the statement read.
The DoC stressed that it is committed to engaging the industry and is open to meeting the broadcasters at an earlier date should that be necessary.
DA shadow minister of communications, Marian Shinn, said that a decision by the DoC to appeal a South Gauteng High Court ruling was a blow to digital TV rollout.
Shinn also warned that it will take more than a year before STB manufacturers are chosen and able to start planning for production.
A host of companies – including listed firms Ellies and Altech – are vying to be a major player in the manufacture and distribution of the set-top boxes; however, without clarity on the control system, production cannot begin.
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