CHALLENGES OF THE SWITCHOVER FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL BROADCASTING

Abstract

The digital migration process began in early 2000 when a number of countries from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regions 1and 3 including Europe, Africa, Middle East expressed interest to introduce digital broadcastingi , but because of different challenges some of the developed and developing countries failed to meet the ITU deadline of 17th June, 2015 and taking advantages of extension time of 17th June, 2020. The developed countries failed to fulfill the European Union recommendations of switching off analogue signals on 1st January, 2012ii although it published a Communication on accelerating the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, which urged member states to bring forward the likely date of analogue switch-off and called for a coordination builds on the 2003 Communication on the transition from analogue to digital broadcastingiii. The United Nations agreed with ITU the deadline for digital switch over to all member states to be on 17th June, 2018. While in the developing countries the East African Community Countries (EAC) did not abide with the discussing deadline even though on 4th September 2014 the EAC countries met at Arusha discussing the issue of the deadline of digital switch-off and decided that all EAC member states should complete their process of digital switchover before 17th June, 2015. And SADC members did not meet the deadline even though they met and decided that on 31st December, 2013 all member states should switch off analogue system and switchover digital system.