South Africa must totally end analogue TV transmissions by March 31st. The problem is that there are at least 220,000 homes needing new set-top boxes in order to receive digital signals.The obligation for the installation falls on the country’s signal transmission company, the publicly-owned Sentech. It has regularly failed to meet previous ‘switch-off’ dates. Indeed, this March 31st deadline was initially set for December 31st 2024 and a 3-month extension was granted to allow more time for set-top boxes to be distributed.Sentech itself is complaining that USAASA has yet to provide addresses and details as to where the boxes are needed.USAASA (The Universal Service & Access Agency of South Africa) is also state-owned, and established through the Electronic Communications Act, No 36 of 2005, to ensure that “every man, woman and child whether living in the remote areas of the Kalahari or in urban areas of Gauteng can be able to connect, speak, explore and study using Information & Communications Technology”.UKAASA has some responsibility, and has consistently missed deadlines to meet its mandated obligations. The initial requirement was that by 2021 it was required to supply and install 1.83 million set-top boxes to those homes needing help with upgrading.“The (set-top box) stock is recorded on Usaasa’s balance sheet. Sentech is the appointed implementing agency responsible for the distribution of set-top boxes and providing project management services,” Sentech said to local press. “The distribution of set-top boxes is dependent on availability of the registration details of beneficiaries. After a beneficiary has been vetted, the details are forwarded to Sentech, which then appoints installers to undertake the installation.”According to South Africa’s communications minister Solly Malatsi, speaking in December 2024, there are some 467,000 households which have registered for the government’s set-top box subsidy programme. But this is just the tip of a huge demand. Khalik Sherrif, the CEO of eMedia Holdings, an analogue (and digital) free-to-air broadcaster, speaking last June stated that there were some 4.5 million homes which were still reliant on analogue TV signals.
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