Advanced Television

StarTimes in spat with MultiChoice

February 24, 2014

By Chris Forrester

Local reports from central Africa state that Chinese-backed pay-TV operator Star Times is accusing MultiChoice’s local operator in Rwanda is “interfering” with Star’s digital terrestrial transmission signals. MultiChoice’s local operator, GOtv, went live last month but StarTimes is now alleging that its shared multiplex with GOtv is seeing GOtv exceed authorised power levels.

Rwanda’s New Times newspaper says: “StarTimes CEO Hans Huo has approached the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) [about the power levels] but there has been little action taken. GOtv came into the market without testing their equipment which is why we are facing these problems. RURA instructed us not to send out more than 1.3kw of signal power, but when GOtv entered the market they sent stronger signal power yet we are on the same frequency,” he said.

“We have pleaded with RURA to allocate us a different frequency but they have ignored our pleas; we are losing money, our clients are frustrated, over 6,000 have complained so far, nearly 400 of them have physically visited our head office over the same,” he continued.

The RURA regulator admits the problem is known to them and that the problem was being addressed.

Categories: Articles, DTH/Satellite, Pay TV, Policy, Regulation