Cape Town – Cabinet’s decision to include a control system in set top boxes (STBs) in the implementation of digital migration will not control how broadcasters manage their content, the Department of Communications said on Tuesday.
The department said this when it appeared before the Joint Portfolio Committee on Communications and Telecommunications and Postal Services at the National Assembly to give an update on the readiness to implement digital migration.
Norman Munzhelele, the head of policy for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), said set top boxes are a transitional tool aimed at enabling migration from analogue to digital television.
“A control system does not mean a conditional access system nor does it mean an encryption of the signal to control access to content by viewers.
“A control system refers to a security feature to encourage the local electronic manufacturing sector,” he said.
The briefing follows an announcement by Cabinet to include a control system in set top boxes following a protracted impasse between government and broadcasters on the inclusion of a control system in STBs.
Cabinet’s approval of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Amendment Policy paves the way for government to implement digital migration, which is expected to improve broadcast quality and clear the radio frequency spectrum currently occupied by broadcasters to free up the much-needed next generation wireless mobile broadband service.
The disagreement between free-to-air broadcasters on digital migration has been the main reason South Africa was unable to implement DTT within the International Telecommunications Union’s agreed timelines to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting signal.
The ITU’s agreed deadline for the switch off of analogue television signals is 17 June 2015.
Munzhelele said the inclusion of the control system in set top boxes would be defined once the policy has been published.
He said in the event of theft, the set top boxes would be designed in a way that they do not work outside the country’s borders.
“The set top boxes must have minimal switching on or off security features to protect the subsidized STBs from theft or leaving South African borders.
“They must also have capabilities to enable the provision of government information and services,” he said.
In its meeting on 4 March, Cabinet decided that in rolling out digital migration, it will provide free set top boxes to five million poor TV-owning households in South Africa. Priority will be given to the border region areas of the country to avoid and minimise signal interference between those regions and neighbouring countries.
The dates to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting signal will be determined by Communications Minister Faith Muthambi in consultation with the Cabinet, Munzhelele said. – SAnews.gov.za
