SA on track to deliver DTT

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Cape Town - Communications Minister Faith Muthambi has reassured South Africans that the country is on track to deliver the much awaited digital migration programme.

“I wish to assure the public that we are on track to have Broadcasting Digital Migration Programme implementation realised in South Africa. The Digital Terrestrial Television Programme Management Office (DTT PMO) is working tirelessly with all key role players towards ensuring a successful implementation of the programme,” she said.

Minister Muthambi was giving opening remarks before her DTT PMO team presents a status report on the DTT project to a joint sitting of the Portfolio Committees on Communications and Telecommunications and Postal Services in Cape Town, on Tuesday.

“Since the approval and gazetting of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy amendments in March 2015, DTT PMO has embarked on the assessment of critical elements of programme implementation.

“The purpose of the assessment was to take stock of completed and outstanding deliverables in order to ensure proper planning and sequencing of services in consideration of dependencies in line with the programme implementation,” she said.

Minister Muthambi added that the objective of these assessments were to unlock risks and issues in the process of the programme implementation in order to provide appropriate recommendations on actual implementation timelines for deliverables to declare the Digital Migration Dual Illumination Performance Period.

She said another reason was to enable her to consult with Cabinet as per the Cabinet decision of the 4th of March 2015. One of the critical aspects of the programme implementation was bilateral engagements with neighbouring countries to ensure frequency spectrum harmonisation.

With the DTT PMO Technical Team, Minister Muthambi embarked on a campaign undertaking a series of bilateral engagements with the neighbouring countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Namibia.

After the bilateral engagements that have highlighted timelines at which other countries intend to rollout the programme and release their digital dividends, the PMO continued to engage with key role players regarding the assessment of the outstanding deliverables in light of the neighbouring counterpart’s timelines.

Minister Muthambi said the PMO will provide a progress update about the status quo of the programme and the timelines so far in working towards a Dual Illumination Performance Period Announcement. - SAnews.gov.za