The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Digital Migration

  • Digital migration: NBC, Pinnacle resolve legal crisis

    Digital migration: NBC, Pinnacle resolve legal crisis

    The legal bottleneck that hampered the country’s chances of meeting the June 2017 switchover from analogue to digital viewing is over, it was announced yesterday.

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Pinnacle Communication Limited both announced at a media briefing that the legal issues had been resolved and the case was as good as withdrawn from the court. Pinnacle Communication is thus bound to launch the Abuja digital switchover before the end of November, 2016.

    Kawu noted that since assumption of office he had been consulting with others and one of the outcomes was resolution of the needless tussle with the Nigerian firm. He said: “I am happy to report that we have reached substantial agreement in the interest of Nigeria’s DSO. Pinnacle Communications Limited is fully back into the DSO process. Similarly, we have taken a decision, going forwards, that Pinnacle Communications Limited, would serve as the signal distributors for the next phase of the DSO, for which we have tentatively chosen the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    “That decision is a reflection of how far we have gone to remove distrust between the parties. It is also a vote of confidence in the ability of a Nigerian company, in this case, Pinnacle Communications Limited, to be part of a historic process: that of the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in our country.”

    The new DG who could not hide his joy over the resolution of the issue said: “So, finding a resolution to that problem was an important issue for me, from the moment that I was appointed Director General of the NBC. We held several meetings with representatives of Pinnacle Communications Limited on the sore points that led to their seeking legal redress. And our Minister, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, also played a major role in seeking a resolution of the impasse as well as giving the reassurances that led us to a point where the two parties agreed that we needed to move on from distrust, to a re-affirmation of commitment to finding success, collectively, for the Nigerian DSO.

    “In truth, we did not have to reach the point where the relationship between us broke down to the point of one of the parties, would decide to go to the courts to seek legal redress. Pinnacle Communications Limited is a very strong leader in the Nigerian broadcasting industry. And over the years, our commission developed a very cordial and mutually-beneficial relationship with them. We collaborated in different areas of endeavour that further strengthened our relationship.

    “When Pinnacle Communications Limited became the preferred bidders and winners of the Second National License as the second signal distributors for the Nigerian Digital Switch Over (DSO), it looked like a consolidation of a process that was going to help us speed up the Nigerian digital switchover. Unfortunately, it was soon after that process that the relationship between the two parties became strained leading to the institution of a legal action by Pinnacle Communications Limited.

    Confirming the DG’s announcement, Mr. Onifade said the matter had been resolved and Pinnacle Communication has every confidence in the ability of NBC management to lead the way in the digitalisation process.

    He assured the NBC management of his company’s support towards meeting deadline for digital switch over. He said: “The matter has been resolved and resolution is total. Whether we have withdrawn the matter from court is a matter that really if we say that the resolution, the next thing to do is to withdraw the matter from court. You can take it that the matter is out of court. All matters have been resolved. We are licencee of NBC, which is the architect of this project right now is doing everything in the right way.”

    Onifade noted that the clearance given to his company to start the Abuja digital switchover was not part of the term of settlement; it was only an olive branch waved by NBC.

  • Another look at Tanzania’s digital migration

    Another look at Tanzania’s digital migration

    Tanzania has generated plenty of buzz in the African television industry-and rightly so. For starting its digital migration process in December 2012 and completing it on 30 April 2015, the East African country succeeded where other countries, including Nigeria, failed.

    Back in 2006, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN’s leading agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), set 2015 as the deadline for member countries to switchover from analogue television broadcast to the digital platform.

    That deadline expired on 17 June, unmet by many African countries.

    Tanzania, however, succeeded.

    Digitisation, the latest direction in broadcasting, entails the digitalisation of signal source, broadcasting system, transmission and terminal products. Among its benefits are the freeing up more communication spectrum space for other uses, considerably better audio-visual quality and creation of job opportunities arising from the vast spectrum space yielded.

    Tanzania, with some justification, should be jubilant over its success.

    In Beijing, China, venue of the 5th edition of the annual StarTimes-organised  African Digital TV Development Seminar, Pang XinXing , President of StarTimes, Tanzania’s digital Migration partners, basked in the euphoria of Tanzania’s success and recommended its model to Nigeria. “Nigeria can leverage on the support that StarTimes provides for Africa. StarTimes is aimed at ensuring that every household in Nigeria can access digital TV, afford digital TV, watch digital TV and enjoy digital TV,” he said.

    Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Fenella Mukangara, also gushed.

    ”We merged with StarTimes so it was very possible to have a company which was dedicated specifically for that purpose and funding obtained through StarTimes and they managed to sort everything out. Otherwise, it was not a very easy task,” she said.

    Tanzanians are reported to have purchased an estimated one million STBs, the device needed to access digital signals.

    However, Tanzanians’ joy at digital migration  may evaporate within a few years when they discover that they have to do it all over again, including purchasing new set-top boxes. The country migrated  on T1 network, a  first generation technology. This implies that the country may, again, need to migrate to  T2 network, a product of second generation technology which is considerably more spectrum efficient,  the main reason for digital migration in the first place.

    As it is, Tanzania and other countries which migrate on T1 technology will not maximize the dividends of digitisation.  The essence of digital migration is to free up spectrum currently used for television for use in other areas particularly for mobile telephone networks like GSM. With T1 technology however,  only minimal spectrum is freed up unlike T 2, which uses much less spectrum for television and frees more spectrum for government to sell to telephone and internet operators.

    Migration a la Tanzania will also certainly come at a cost to those who have acquired T1 set-top boxes, which is outmoded.

    StarTimes angered the Kenyan and Ugandan public with its continued importation of T1 decoders. Three years ago, the Ugandan Consumers’ Protection Awareness Association called the attention of the country’s authorities to the fact that the Chinese company, in flagrant indifference to the country’s goal of digital migration, kept importing T1 decoders and accused StarTimes of turning the country into a dump for decoders no longer needed in China. Same thing happened in Nigeria where despite the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission’s directive, StarTimes initially deployed T1 boxes before it was pressured into changing to change to T2. As I write, many Startimes subscribers in Nigeria are still using old T1 boxes.

    With StarTimes President’s offer to help Nigeria, using the model it used in Tanzania, Nigeria may be the next destination of outmoded technology dressed up in the garb of a modern one. In the event of this, Nigerians may end up paying twice for set-up boxes and fattening the bank accounts of Chinese manufacturers. StarTimes, which already has a partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) via the NTA/StarTV Network that began in 2010, appears to be in a position to do as it wishes. The Digital Implementation Team established by the Federal Government has recommended NTA as the country’s signal distributor when the digitisation process is eventually completed.

    This will make NTA the custodian of all distribution frequencies in the country. If NTA is ratified as the signal distributor, the implication is that all operators will depend on the National Broadcasting Commission for licensing and the NTA for frequencies. This, in turn, would mean that StarTimes’ partnership with NTA (the latter has no technical role in the migration process) has effectively handed over a matter as sensitive as broadcasting to a foreign a company. And with NTA as sole public signal distributor, it will have unrestrained control over operators.

    The NTA is the junior partner in its partnership with StarTimes. While the terms of the partnership agreement allow the parties involved to provide part-pay-TV and part Free-to-Air (FTA) services, NTA/StarTimes only provides pay-TV services. At the expiry of subscription, a subscriber has no access to FTA channels, a clear breach of the agreement.

     

    •Afuwape, an engineer, lives in Abeokuta

  • ‘How StarTimes facilitated digital migration’

    ‘How StarTimes facilitated digital migration’

    With the expiration of the June 17 deadline set by the  International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for digital migration by all it member countries, Tanzania, one of the few ountries in Africa that met the deadline, has said StarTimes played a very important role in its success story.

    Many African countries, including Nigeria,  were unprepared and missed the deadline.

    Laura Oloyede, MD/CEO, Laura & Lloyd Communications who spoke  at the  5th African Digital TV Development Seminar in Beijing, China, said Tanzania  beat other African countries to it. Oloyede attributed this success to the countries partnership with StarTimes.

    According to Oloyede, Tanzania started the process of analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in 2006 when it amended its broadcasting laws to accommodate digital broadcasting. “This was after the announcement by the International Telecommunication Union which found many African countries unprepared to undertake the required task of migration. The country however started the Analogue Switch Over on 31st December 2012 and completed 30th April, 2015 when all analogue television transmitters were switched off,” she revealed.

    Narrating the successful transition process in Beijing at the Seminar organised by StarTimes, Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Fenella Mukangara, said; “We merged with StarTimes so it was very possible to have a company which was dedicated specifically to the purpose and funding obtained through StarTimes and they managed to sort everything out; otherwise it was not a very easy task.

    “Our government, through the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) allowed introduction of DTH to complement the DTT services. With that, Tanzania now has 100% digital signal coverage using DTT and DTH. I’m glad to inform this meeting that, Tanzania has managed to have smooth and successful migration from analogue to digital television ahead of the set ITU deadline of 17th June, 2015,” Mukangarasaid.

    Reiterating its commitment to Nigeria, StarTimes President, Mr Pang XinXing, said that Nigeria can leverage on the support that StarTimes provides for Africa. He added that, StarTimes is aimed at ensuring that every household in Nigeria can enjoy digital TV.

    “We are so delighted and proud to be the partner of choice for BUNDESLIGA and look forward to support their continued growth in the region,” he said.

  • Media digital migration: Understanding the times

    Media digital migration: Understanding the times

    There is no denial that the future of the media is digital communication which became the concern for the Board of Directors, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) during a recent meeting.

    The Board expressed worries over the seemingly lack of progress in the Digital Migration process in West Africa, especially in view of the internationally mandated deadline for all countries to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting.

    Interestingly, more audience explore the digital space than majority of media professionals and the risk of this is that information is becoming less verifiable considering the level of internet saturation.

    On the other hand, a few of those who are apparently able to use digital communication among media owners and practitioners may not even be well informed as to the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of the cyber space.

    Meanwhile, there was an internationally mandatory June 17 deadline of migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, which is obviously not fulfillable.

    However, the Board observed that given the pervasiveness of television as a source of information for a large proportion of the population in West Africa and prevalence of analogue television sets in the region, the obvious inability of countries to meet the agreed deadline has potentially serious implications for access to information and freedom of expression in the region.

    These concerns of the MFWA’s Board are contained in an 11-point Resolution adopted at the end of its two-day meeting held in Benin Republic on Friday, May 29.

    “The Board also expresses deep concern about the low level of public awareness of the digital migration process and calls on the media and civil society groups in West Africa to support public education efforts to prepare citizens in their respective countries for the digital migration,” the Resolution noted.

    The Resolution urged governments in West Africa to prioritise the safety of journalists in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, and the recent UN Security Council Resolution on the Safety of Journalists.

    The Security Council Resolution (Resolution 2222) adopted on May 27, 2015, urged Member States of the United Nations to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists, media professionals and associated personnel to perform their work independently and without undue interference.

    The Board’s Resolution also covered other critical issues relating to freedom of expression and press freedom in the West Africa region including concerns about lowering professional standards among the media in the region, the need for states to decriminalise defamation and the need for governments and regional bodies in West Africa to make significant investments in ICTs and work collaboratively to promote internet rights and freedoms.

    Consequently, the ways and manners of accessing information have fast moved from analogue to digital. It is therefore worrisome to discover that media houses still do not understand the times.

    Perhaps, it could be possible for media practitioners to relate with the magic of digital communication when they consider copies of their newspapers sold and returned or when they measure audience viewership for the broadcast folks.

  • Digital migration: Points to ponder

    Jill Okeke writes on the different issues the National Broadcasting Commission must contend with towards Nigeria’s drive from analogue to digital transmission

    WITH less than 23 days deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union [ITU] for the whole world to migrate from Analogue transmission to Digital, Nigeria, it does appears faces a myriad of challenges.

    Besides the non availability of the key facility Set Top Boxes [STB] without which consumers will not have access to digital signals to lack of funds to engage in consumer awareness, Nigeria is not likely to meet the June 17th deadline.

    “Funding is an issue that must be addressed. We do not have the required funding that will help us achieve a national digital switchover now. But we have made significant mark in digital switchover,” said the Director General of the regulating body, the National Broadcasting Commission [NBC] Mr. Emeka Mba, in an interview.

    Expatiating, Mba said: “In terms of planning we are fully ready as a regulator, but we need huge funding to drive the entire process that has to do with the production of enough STB that will do the actual conversion of signals from digital transmission for digital viewing on our local screens.”

    The NBC DG, stressed that digital switchover is not an easy task, adding that a lot of money is needed to actualise the project.

    Even in developed countries like United Kingdom, and the United States, the governments had to borrow money to complete their digital switchover process. “Even Cameroun, borrowed $400 million from the world bank to address the issue of digital switchover in their country,” noted Mba.

    Speaking further, the DG pointed out that much is needed to buy enough STB and transmitters that can cover the whole country. “We are already working with four countries that have concluded their digitalisation process and the amount of time and resources we have put in place is enormous showing our state of readiness as regulator.”

    Insisting on the readiness of NBC, he disclosed that the regulatory body has even licensed some operators that will provide contents under a single platform. “So we have made significant progress in this direction and I am optimistic that once we get the necessary funding and the required amount of STB, we will begin switching in some cities as we shall do it in phases.”

    While this may sound disappointing to those who understand the benefits of digital transmission, the delay may actually be what is needed to drive consumer awareness and to work out modalities to checkmate the expected attendant excesses of the major stakeholders like the Pay-Tv.

    Up till this moment, research has shown that many consumers both the educated and less educated do not even know or appreciate what it is to migrate from analogue transmission to digital. Majority especially those on the street are not even aware that Nigeria is supposed to be switching over to digital transmission by June 17th.

    In a chat with Barrister Chugo Omeihe, of Omeihe and Associates on Awolowo Road, Ikeja, while admitting that he has heard about the matter in the news media, he however confessed that he still needs to be schooled on the propriety or otherwise of the craze for digital migration.

    “I do not fully comprehend the implications because I have not paid attention to the issue as I have many things competing for my attention.”

    “We need more consumer awareness. Ofcourse I understand digital transmission but not the many attendant benefits,” said Dr. Olu Adebayo of Lagos University Teaching Hospital [LUTH].

    Isaiah, a Graphics Student of Yaba College of Education, Lagos, said though he fully comprehends the issues, many of his friends do not. Thus, he called on the NBC to carry out road works and paid advertisements in the media in order to fully sensitise the general public.

    Most of the players in the small scale businesses and house wives admitted they are not aware of any such thing as digital migration. Even those who claimed to have heard the issue mentioned do not really understand what it means.

    Another critical issue that also needs clarifying by the regulator is the need to ensure best experience for consumers, prevent cases of signal interferences, especially among Pay-TV players as well as curbing unauthorised operators.

    “Yes we have heard cases of gross legal breach, insensitivity to customer’s needs and anti-competitive practices on the part of some Pay-TV players and as we move into digital broadcasting in Nigeria, these issues should be watched out for and checkmated by the NBC,” said Charles Okonta, a Lagos-based engineer.

    Also, a television engineer, Mr. Edward Amana, who has been involved in major technical projects in broadcasting sector in Nigeria and also in the digital broadcasting process, also called on the NBC and the players to play by the rules of digital broadcasting, where a level playing ground is created  for all stakeholders to avoid interferences.

    While commenting on the much hyped digital technology, Mr. Edward Idris Amana, the Chairman DigiTeam Nigeria, said: “We have come a long way in the transition process, the journey ahead is now much shorter from where we are coming from, we will get there.”

  • Digital Migration: Lesson from Kenya

    Kenyans are already complaining about the semblance of a Greek gift in their country’s migration from analogue to digital television.

    In protest, four of Kenya’s main private TV stations; KTN, Citizen, NTV and its subsidiary QTV went off air recently in most of the country due to a row over the switch from analogue to digital transmission. State-run broadcaster KBC and K24 TV, which is owned by the family of President Uhuru Kenyatta, have remained on air.

    The analogue signal for the four TV stations grouped under the African Digital Network Consortium was turned off by the authorities, leading the media houses to switch off their digital signals in protest.

    They argued that there is need for more time to import their own set-top boxes that would distribute their content.

    The Communications Authority of Kenya says 60 percent of the people have now acquired a set-top box to receive a digital signal, wondering why the media houses would be dragging their feet.

    Although the media houses asked for 100 days extension to comply, the Supreme Court rejected the TV stations’ request.

    The Kenyan authorities are acting ahead of the June 17, 2015 deadline by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the global migration from analogue to digital broadcast. They argued that there is the need to test-run the operations and fix any glitches ahead of the June deadline.

    It will be recalled that neighbouring Tanzania went ahead with its digital migration on 31 December 2013, the first country to do so of the five members of the East African Community.

    Already, two providers  Signet, owned by the Kenyan government and PANG, a Chinese firm- are already in operation.

    This for a moment is where I paused to think about the implication of such a provider(s) in Nigeria.

    If you take into cognizance, a heated political period like now in Nigeria; a time when despite our constitutional standpoint, people are still wary of the extent of independence of the INEC, you would begin to imagine what the composition of our service providers will be under the digital TV regime.

    As laudable and ample as the spectrum of the digital model, its disadvantage lies in the regulatory platforms which has the tendency to stifle the operations and independence of private owned broadcast stations over some political differentials.

    Whereas under the analogue system, every broadcaster establishes, manages and maintains its transmission infrastructure, the digital system is not like that, because channels give up their signal distribution function and simply hand over their content to a licensed signal distributor for onward transmission to the viewer.

    In Kenya, as we have clearly seen, the government is a joint provider with a Chinese firm, which many suspect has some faceless Kenyans as shareholders.

    At the few fora held in Nigeria on the transition to digital TV, little or no attention was paid on whether or not the digital system will not deter the freedom of information and media independence that Nigeria is still trying to sustain.

    As it is now, if Channels has a problem with its transmitter, TVC would still be on air. If NTA switches off its signal, AIT would still continue with its normal broadcast. However, under the digital system, all the channels cede their signal to, for example, Startimes, which has affiliation with NTA, a government-owned television station.

    Beyond this seeming challenge, the advantages of digital transition are enormous, especially going by its more efficient use of frequencies and lower cost of setting up a TV channel, among others.

  • Digital Migration: Lesson from Kenya

    KENYANS are already complaining about the semblance of a Greek gift in their country’s migration from analogue to digital television.

    In protest, four of Kenya’s main private TV stations; KTN, Citizen, NTV and its subsidiary QTV went off air recently in most of the country due to a row over the switch from analogue to digital transmission. State-run broadcaster KBC and K24 TV, which is owned by the family of President Uhuru Kenyatta, have remained on air.

    The analogue signal for the four TV stations grouped under the African Digital Network Consortium was turned off by the authorities, leading the media houses to switch off their digital signals in protest.

    They argued that there is need for more time to import their own set-top boxes that would distribute their content.

    The Communications Authority of Kenya says 60 percent of the people have now acquired a set-top box to receive a digital signal, wondering why the media houses would be dragging their feet.

    Although the media houses asked for 100 days extension to comply, the Supreme Court rejected the TV stations’ request.

    The Kenyan authorities are acting ahead of the June 17, 2015 deadline by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the global migration from analogue to digital broadcast. They argued that there is the need to test-run the operations and fix any glitches ahead of the June deadline.

    It will be recalled that neighbouring Tanzania went ahead with its digital migration on 31 December 2013, the first country to do so of the five members of the East African Community.

    Already, two providers – Signet, owned by the Kenyan government and PANG, a Chinese firm- are already in operation.

    This for a moment is where I paused to think about the implication of such a provider(s) in Nigeria.

    If you take into cognizance, a heated political period like now in Nigeria; a time when despite our constitutional standpoint, people are still wary of the extent of independence of the INEC, you would begin to imagine what the composition of our service providers will be under the digital TV regime.

    As laudable and ample as the spectrum of the digital model, its disadvantage lies in the regulatory platforms which has the tendency to stifle the operations and independence of private owned broadcast stations over some political differentials.

    Whereas under the analogue system, every broadcaster establishes, manages and maintains its transmission infrastructure, the digital system is not like that, because channels give up their signal distribution function and simply hand over their content to a licensed signal distributor for onward transmission to the viewer.

    In Kenya, as we have clearly seen, the government is a joint provider with a Chinese firm, which many suspect has some faceless Kenyans as shareholders.

    At the few fora held in Nigeria on the transition to digital TV, little or no attention was paid on whether or not the digital system will not deter the freedom of information and media independence that Nigeria is still trying to sustain.

    As it is now, if Channels has a problem with its transmitter, TVC would still be on air. If NTA switches off its signal, AIT would still continue with its normal broadcast. However, under the digital system, all the channels cede their signal to, for example, Startimes, which has affiliation with NTA, a government-owned television station.

    Beyond this seeming challenge, the advantages of digital transition are enormous, especially going by its more efficient use of frequencies and lower cost of setting up a TV channel, among others.