South Africa’s TV digitisation plan gets STB awareness boost
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Juan Fernandez Gonzalez
| 07 March 2017

Registration for subsidised digital set-top boxes (STBs) is on the rise with over 36,000 households signing up during February 2017, according to South Africa’s Department of Communications.

The South African Government has offered subsidies to five million TV-owning households to allow them to access digital terrestrial television (DTT) when the country switches from analogue broadcasts.

The Department of Communications says the registration of 36,042 eligible households in February is a significant increase on January’s registration total of 11,709.

“It is encouraging to see the growth in demand. The increase in registrations is a strong indication of the success of the migration project,” said Communications Minister Faith Muthambi (pictured). “Awareness is growing day by day and people appreciate the tangible benefits that come with this process.”

South Africa began the first phase of its analogue switch-off in October 2016, with households in the Northern Cape switching to DTT. Since then, a total of 18 analogue transmitters have been switched off in the surrounding Square Kilometre Array area, according to the Government.

Northern Cape and Free State provinces have gone through an STB installation phase, with the installation continuing this month in other borderline provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

“Digital terrestrial television services provide us with a rich opportunity to realise the vision of building a people-centred and inclusive information society,” added Muthambi.