To be forewarned is to be forearmed. This saying, very commonplace in Africa and mouthed by the day and almost everywhere through all ranks, age brackets and economic levels, doesn’t appear to have been taken to heart in the continent’s march on the digital journey with the rest of the world.
The Race is Not to the Swift
“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” – Ecclesiastes 9:11
“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Ziglar
Nine years may not be a very long time in the history of nations. But in the digital world, where things happen ‘at the speed of thought’, 3,285 days is like eternity. After all, in that time countless momentous events have taken place beyond the traditional ‘a lot of water has passed under the bridge.’
Indeed, when representatives from the 193 Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) met in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2006 and on the 17th of that month, issued a statement the result of a historic treaty the members signed that would usher in a wave of digital broadcasting, for 119 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia – to begin with – 2015, which was set as the terminal or deadline date, seemed too far off.
Now however, all of that long time seems so short for many countries that fall in the region marked for the first phase of the digital switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting as signed by all member countries of the ITU on June 17, 2006; but for those who prepared very well and have since achieved the migration, it was time well utilised.
So, while those who failed to meet the deadline – like students who have ill-prepared for an examination always find the time given for the paper too short, or the time appearing to have sped past too fast, those who did their homework well, often smile to the invigilator – so those countries in the Region 1 for the digital migration are now feeling: those who made it are wondering if nine years was not too long a time, whereas those who could not make it wonder if indeed, nine years have sped passed by – so soon!
In those intervening years, the ITU itself has since several changes, including three secretaries-general. When the treaty was signed in 2006, Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, a Japanese, was serving out his last year at the ITU, and played host to the gathering of over 1,000 delegates for the Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06).
Africa’s own Dr. Hamadoun Toure who succeeded Utsumi as secretary-general of the ITU, took up office in January 2007; and, has since served out two full terms of four years each. He bowed out in December 2014. Currently, Mr. Houlin Zhao, from China, who took up office this January 2015, leads the ITU as secretary-general. The decision for digital switchover however, remains resolute as an ITU target.
Africa’s Digital Switchover Journey
All 54 countries in Africa, including the big names like Nigeria, South, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and others like Ghana, Tunisia, Congo Democratic Republic, among others, took active part in the 2006 treaty agreement. Not only that they took part, they were all bound by that treaty to migrate and thereby switch off from analogue to digital television broadcasting, both for the convenience and greater offerings that digital offers; and, for the extant digital dividend, a whole new array of benefits complete with additional spectrum and the windfall to gain from auctions of such spectrum.
Alas! Of all the big names, in spite of their economic, political and social within the continent and internationally, all the ‘big ones’ of the African continent, failed to meet the digital switchover deadline of June 17, 2015 which they penned on June 17, 2006 and agreed to keep to.
THE AFRICAN CHAMPIONS!
They were the least expected to meet this digital switchover deadline; for good reason. If those who have all the resources, energies, possible technical knowhow, human resource in great abundance and the highest political clout any nation on the continent can muster; if all these failed to meet the ITU digital switch off analogue and over to digital television broadcasting, who would have expected the Champions to be the ones to give Africa hope! Yet, they did. These are the only countries announced by the ITU as having completed their digital switchover from analogue to digital, as of June 17, 2015, thereby ranking among the first to achieve milestone as set by the international agency:
Malawi: African Digital Switchover Champion
Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Malawi is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population of 16,777,547 (July 2013 est.). Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi’s largest city; the second largest is Blantyre and the third is Mzuzu. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. The country is also nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa”.
Malawi is among the smallest countries in Africa in size. Lake Malawi takes up about a third of Malawi’s area.
Malawi’s Digital Switchover
Thanks to forward-looking thoughts and partnership formed in time, Malawi’s digital switchover efforts were buoyed with the signing of a contract in June 2013, with Huawei Technologies of China for the provision of digital switchover equipment. The $1.7m equipment supplied by Huawei provided the elixir that would propel the country into the history achievement.
Huawei commissioned and installed Malawi’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) equipment ahead of the planned switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting thereby giving it time, if it proved to be tight in the end, to become one of the few countries in Africa to rank among the first in the world – at the first trial.
Malawi’s Digital Migration Coordinator David Chirwa describes the experience thus:
“The transition from analogue to digital provides a platform for more players in the broadcasting industry thereby creating more jobs and offering better quality picture and sound. It will also give more choices for the viewing public and at the same time offer better spectrum utilisation with free frequencies that can be used for ICT services such as 4G mobile services”
Mozambique: African Digital Switchover Champion
Mozambique also in Southeast Africa is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It is separated from Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo (previously called Lourenço Marques before independence).
Mozambique’s digital switchover:
This Portuguese speaking country began the DVB-T2 digital switchover in 2013, with high hopes and target to complete it this year; and, the country completed the process just in time and got the ITU’s nod as having met the deadline of June 17, 2015.
To show how serious the country took the digital switchover journey, the Mozambique National Communications Institute (INCM) drew up and issued a decree banning the importation of analogue radio and television sets, long before the digital migration deadline in a bid to ensure everyone complied and supported the exercise.
Rwanda: African Digital Switchover Champion
Rwanda is a sovereign state ensconced in central and east Africa. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda is in the African Great Lakes region and is highly elevated; its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savannah to the east, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate of the country is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year.
The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density among the highest in Africa. Rwandans are composed of three ethnic groups: the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The Twa are a forest-dwelling pygmy people descended from Rwanda’s earliest inhabitants.
It has a population of 12 million people as of 2013 estimates.
Rwanda’s Digital Journey in Style
On June 1 5, RWANDA announced that it was already well ahead of the June 17, 2015deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to switch over from analogue transition to digital broadcasting.
Field questions from journalists in the country, Rwanda’s Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) Head of Communication and Media Regulation, Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, said all was in place to resume digital broadcasting, adding with an air of satisfaction:
“….already completed switchover.”
He said Rwanda closed its digital switchover on July 2014 adding that “no more analogue terrestrial TV since that date”.
Mutabazi said the main challenge then experienced by Rwanda was the availability of set top boxes (STBs) on time as the country was geared for the new life in digital without analogue.
He explains the reason for the Rwandan digital migration success:
“The main success of Rwanda was that the Government availed funds to digitise the whole network of the Public broadcaster since 2008.”
Tanzania: African Digital Switchover Champion
Tanzania is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania.
Tanzania’s population of 47.4 million (2014) is highly diverse, composed of numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups.
Tanzania’s Digital Switchover Success
This country may well be called the jewel of Africa’s digital switchover odyssey. Not only did Tanzania achieve record as the first African country to switch off analogue and on to digital, it went on to receive international commendation from the GSM Association for the achievement. And this was long before the ITU deadline of June 17, 2015 , leading one writer to comment that Tanzania’s experience would give policymakers across Africa insights and lessons into the practical challenges and directions involved in DSO.
Here’s why: On 31 December 2012, Tanzania became the first country in mainland Sub-Saharan Africa to switch off its analogue television signal! Not that Tanzania has such a long history of television broadcasting as say countries like Nigeria (1959), broadcasting came late to Tanzania. The first broadcaster was a private firm, Independent Television (ITV), which launched in 1994. The first state-run channel, TBC1, launched in 2000, although in many parts of Tanzania it only became available by 2004. By 2010 around 30 terrestrial TV channels were available, of which about half were local channels.
Yet, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) began preparations for DSO shortly after the ITU Regional Radio Conference 2004 (RRC-04), at which digital terrestrial broadcasting was planned for Europe and Africa. In August 2005, TCRA published its first consultation document, addressing changes to the policy, legislative and licensing framework required to prepare for DSO. TCRA’s proposed approach to licensing included.
Digital switch-on
TCRA began a public education roadshow in April 2011, and the country’s president launched the Digital Tanzania campaign in August 2011. The following month, StarTimes (the brand name of Star Media) held its grand launch – although its service had been available earlier in the year – and by November 2011 had acquired 130 000 subscribers. The other two multiplex operators launched only after analogue switch-off. In the first half of 2013 Agape launched in six localities, while Basic Transmissions launched in three.
Line of success story: Tanzania switched off its analogue signal in most regions more than two years ahead of the ITU-agreed deadline of 17 June 2015.
Speaking on some of the strategies and success stories for the DSO achievements, DG of the TRCA, Prof. John Nkoma said the government provided the political will thus giving full support to ensure timely migration, as follows:- ƒ Government Buy in; Cabinet approval in 2008:- -digital migration roadmap; -digital migration strategy; -communication strategy; Support by the President.
But it didn’t end there. Prof Nkoma gave his “Communication Strategy” thus:
Communication is power. One of the key success factors was to identify and categorise the audience/ profiling for effective outreach:
In year 2010 TCRA formulated a Communications Strategy (CS) and submitted it to the Government for approval. The Government approved it;
The communication strategy provided for all communications outlets including print and electronic media (newspapers, tv/radio), roadshows, talkshows, meetings/seminars, jingles and songs (audio and visual) from ward to national level, tailor made for various age groups, various social spheres, government to private sector;
In year 2011, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania launched the Public Awareness Campaign and the digital logo on 24th August, 2011.
It was therefore not surprising that the GSMA congratulate officially “the Government of Tanzania and the TCRA on finalising the schedule for the country’s much anticipated digital switchover,” stated Mortimer Hope, Director, Spectrum and Public Policy Africa, GSMA at a teleconference.
TCRA completed full transition from analogue to digital television in March of 2015, the first phase of analogue switch off involved seven transmitter sites having been executed from December 31st, 2012 and ended on 30th April 2013, the second phase of ASO started on 31st March 2014 and it involved 10 transmitter sites and ended on 31st of October 2014.