The South African government will soon start the process of switching off its analogue TV signals as part of its transition to digital broadcasting.

The move was announced recently by the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, who said he anticipates the process will be done province-by-province and will be completed by the end of March 2022.

“The completion of digital migration is vital to our ability to effectively harness the enormous opportunities presented by technological change,” he said.

“The country’s digital migration process has suffered many delays, with South Africa ultimately missing the June 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union for completion of the process.”

He added that the licensing of high-demand spectrum was at an advanced stage.

“We hope that the ongoing litigation on the licensing matter will provide legal certainty and will not unduly delay the spectrum auction process. The primary aim of digital migration is to release valuable spectrum that will be used to provide new services such as wireless and other broadband services,” Ramaphosa said.

“It will also lead to efficient use of available spectrum since digital broadcasts only require a fraction of the spectrum required for broadcasting services. Digital broadcasting will bring more television channels, more content and allow more choice for consumers.”

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