South Africa: Broadcasters give up digital frequencies
June 19, 2023
By Chris Forrester
South Africa’s new Minister of Communications, Mondli Gungubele, has updated parliament on the latest plans for digital broadcasting in the country. The new date is that analogue frequencies must be vacated by July 31st and ready for digital transmissions as well as an ending of any remaining dual illumination by the end of 2024.
The new date seems likely to be met. One major objector giving up its frequencies is e.tv, a broadcaster with a huge audience for its free-to-view channel.
The Ministry says all analogue broadcasters using bands above 694MHz must vacate those frequencies by no later than July 31st. These are the frequency bands already allocated to mobile operators during last year’s auction of spectrum by communications regulator ICASA. The operators haven’t been able to utilise the spectrum fully as it is currently being used for analogue TV.
The broadcasters using bandwidth above 694MHz must move to lower frequencies by July 31st, the minister said. All remaining analogue broadcasting services can temporarily be accommodated in lower frequencies, meaning South Africans still reliant on analogue broadcasts may need to retune their TVs to continue receiving some channels from August 1st. Both the SABC and e.tv will have to change the frequencies of some of their transmissions.
Dual illumination must end by December 31st 2024. The original date for the complete ending of analogue TV was December 2010 and South Africa has missed very many ‘obligation’ dates including the ITU’s June 2015.