Digital Migration
TIME TICKS FOR AFRICA
Bumpy Road to Digital Migration

While the rest of the world appears certain about switching over from analogue to digital broadcasting, many countries in Africa risk missing the globally set deadline for full migration. Yet, irrespective of the challenges and hurdles on the way for Africa,  the continent must move with the rest of the world. By SAMSON AKINTARO

The Way to Go
For all Africa nations, the period between now and 2015 is a critical one in which serious and resolute actions must be taken if they are to remain relevant in the broadcasting world. Already, the die is cast with the world’s telecommunication body, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) issuing a deadline for country members to complete migration process after which there would be no more protection against interference. The Geneva 2006 Agreement sets 17 June 2015 as the date after which countries may use those frequencies currently assigned for analogue television transmission for digital services, without being required to protect the analogue services of neighbouring countries against interference. This date is generally viewed as an internationally mandated analogue switch-off date, at least along national borders.
Specifically, African countries have been put on their toes with this agreement, as most countries from Asia, America, Europe  and others had already begun, if not completed, migration process prior to 2006, when the deadline  was fixed. Digital migration, in the real sense of it, is the process of converting TV broadcast signals from the current analogue format to digital technology. This migration became necessary as a result of developments in telecommunications technology which enable more efficient use of radio frequency spectrum as well as better quality pictures and sound.
Aside from providing better picture and sound quality, the switchover to digital broadcasting offers clear advantages for both consumers and operators. These advantages stem from the fact that it is possible to process and compress digital data in a more efficient manner than was the case for analogue signals. Digital broadcasting gives a wider choice of programmes from a greater number of channels and radio stations and improved flexibility of use as a result of better portable and mobile reception. More so, with improvement in IT services, services are expected to get more interactive and boost the potential to contribute to serving the specific needs of the elderly or disabled by providing them with services such as better subtitling, audio commentaries or signing.
To enjoy these benefits and given the set deadline by ITU, Africa countries have since swung into actions, unveiling road maps and strategies to achieve seamless migration before 2015. Interestingly, many have gone a step further to set their own deadline, which are earlier than the ITU date. And with this, one is tempted to conclude that Africa will definitely meet the ITU deadline.
Unfortunately, stories emanating from across the continent do not suggest that Africa countries are likely to meet the 2015 target, let alone their self imposed deadline. Save for Nigeria, which has, until this moment, maintained a confident posture of meeting its self imposed deadline of June 17, 2012, the story from South Africa to Kenya, Uganda among others have suggested that the targets are on shaky grounds. Even, in Nigeria where the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is seen to be making some frantic efforts at meeting the self imposed deadline, the atmosphere is rife with doubts and pessimism. This is not unconnected to the fact that up to this time, many Nigerians still remain in the dark over the process, even in less than six months to the switching date. And for this, the Commission, also has its own reason, citing unavailable of government White Paper to proceed on publicity and awareness. This again raises concern over preparedness of the Nigeria government or whether those that call the shots are even in sync with the Commission’s plans.
In Africa generally, pundits have rated the migration process as slow, a development which has been attributed to factors such as poor funding, lack of awareness, challenges of getting equipment; capacity building and social problems associated with public understanding of the process. These have further increased the level of doubt as to the practicability of this migration among stakeholders in the industry.
Less than four years to the ITU deadline, the question remains; will Africa be able to navigate through the hurdles on its way to achieving this target? Whichever way, the fact remains that the continent must move with the rest of the world and going digital, this time around, is not negotiable.

Why Digital Migration
Besides the inherent advantages of digital broadcasting, the need to migrate totally from the current system stems from the fact that almost all analogue formats in current use were standardised between the 1940s and 1950s and have had to be adapted to the technological innovations since then.
Initially offering only black and white images with monophonic sound, the formats have had to be modified to broadcast in colour, stereo sound, SAP, captioning, and other information all while being backwards compatible with televisions unable to use the features. Additionally, engineers have had to implement these protocols within the limits of a set bandwidth and the tolerances of an inefficient analogue format.
However during this time, the application and distribution of digital communications evolved. Digital television transmission is more efficient, easily integrating other digital processes. Analogue features have difficulty or cannot do the extra digital features.
For the end-user, digital television has potential for resolutions and sound fidelity comparable with blu-ray home video and with digital multiplexing, it is also possible to offer subchannels, distinct simulcast programming, from the same broadcaster.
For government and industry, digital television reallocates the radio spectrum so that it can be auctioned off by the government. In the subsequent auctions, telecommunications industries can introduce new services and products in mobile telephony, wi-fi internet, and other nationwide telecommunications projects.
Again, Digital broadcasting creates improvements in video and sound quality that will allow for high definition TV. Moreover, the transmission and reception of broadcasting data expands to incorporate different platforms, including Mobile Phone TV, Internet Broadcasting IPTV, DVB-h (Digital Video Broadcasting – camcorder). Different types of data can be simultaneously carried – video, sound, data, audio and voice and the consistency of the data improve over greater distances.

Africa and Self Imposed Targets
Rising from the Geneva Regional Radio Conference (RCC) organized by ITU in 2006, where it was agreed that member countries must ensure television broadcasters concluded shifting to digital migration by 2015, broadcasting regulators in the continent were aroused and came out with a more tasking target. Based on individual capacity, countries in the continent have come up with specific migration target dates earlier than the 2015 date.
Nigeria, for instance, as one of Africa’s most liberalised broadcast markets, hit the ground running by setting a  target of June 17 2012  as the change-over date to digital broadcasting transmission in the country. And the country seem to be on course as the industry regulator the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has claimed that cable1 and Direct-to-Home (“DTH”) operators in the country are already transmitting digital signals. In addition, the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has publicly announced the commitment of the government to speed-up the transition process and is set to issue an industry re-defining White Paper on the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Broadcasting (PAC).
Ghana has also set a modest target of December 2014. In June, 2010 a dedicated National Digital Broadcasting Migration Technical Committee (NDBMTC) was founded for this purpose. The 24-member committee of technical experts has been mandated to consult widely with all stakeholders in the TV broadcasting arena and to monitor the performance of other African countries, who are in the process of migration to be able to present credible and practical policy recommendations to realize the objectives of the digital broadcasting migration in Ghana. The committee has already started a pilot project and has projected that by 2013 it would have completed covering all regional capitals and their surrounding areas. The digital pilot project is a co- operation between GBC, NGB and Ghana’s four major channels -Ghana Television, TV3, TV Africa and Net 2 Television.
In South Africa, the country started simultaneous digital and analogue broadcasting in November 2008 in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The country’s Cabinet had originally set a deadline of 1 November 2011 for the termination of analogue television broadcasts. However, last year, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) committed itself to achieving this target by April 2012 after determining that the November 2011 date was not feasible. Early this year, ICASA announced that the switch-off of analogue broadcasts will take longer, thanks in part to anticipated delays in the availability of set-top boxes that are needed to receive the new digital signals, particularly those that will be subsidised by government. Hence, the switch over date in the country has now been shifted to an expected completion date of 1 December 2013.
Countries in the East Africa region have also set a deadline of December 2012 to achieve complete digital migration.  Rwanda has made the biggest strides on the digital migration journey, with the switch-on expected by the end of 2011. The Rwanda government allocated US$ 40m to Rwanda Information Office (ORINFOR), and the country is expected to go fully digital by 2012, according to the Ministry of Information. As early as 2008, Rwanda stopped issuing licenses to investors intending to broadcast using analogue.
In Kenya, the government formed the Digital Kenya Secretariat, which led to the launch of digital broadcasting services in December 2009. The country plans to fully migrate by 2012 and has licensed two new digital distributors to join SIGNET, a subsidiary of the state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). Already Kenya Ministry of Information and Communication has asked Treasury to zero-rate digitals set top boxes to make them affordable. A set top box is the equipment that enables analogue TV sets to receive digital signals. The government has also announced that only digital set top boxes that are Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial (DVBT) and MPEG4-enabled will be sold in Kenya.
Ugandan government in pursuit of the regional target had in 2008 adopted a Digital Broadcasting Migration strategy. The country had also offered Chinese firm Huawei technologies the right to spearhead digital migration after securing a loan from the EXIM Bank. Uganda, which currently has over 15 free to air television stations and 270 free to air radio stations, was very confident of meeting the December 2012 target. The country’s Information and Communication Technology state minister, Mr. Nyombi Tembo recently assured the nation that despite the foreseeable challenges, Uganda would beat the regional migration deadline. "We would like to assure broadcasters that the Government is not thinking of asking for a deadline extension. We are sure we will beat the deadline," Tembo was quoted as saying.
Trials for digital broadcast in Rwanda started in 2005, carrying CNN, TV5 and Rwanda Television. In Uganda, a DTT pilot of seven channels was commenced in November 2009, involving a company called Next Generation Broadcasting in partnership with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC). The country’s self-imposed deadline is to complete television migration by December 2012.
In Botswana, a Digital Migration Task Force was announced in May 2009 as a body that includes industry, government and civil society advocacy group the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Botswana chapter). The target date for switch-off is January 2014. The country has already converted six of 38 transmitters to be digitally-capable. It envisages a Production Fund being set up to promote local content in digital broadcasting, as well as a “Content Standards Board”. Lesotho’s TV transmitters were purchased three years ago, and are digitally ready, but the country’s officials say they are concerned about how content for additional digital channels could be paid for.
Zambia’s government has set up a National Task Force on Digital Migration as a multi-stakeholders’ body to develop a roadmap and oversee the migration. Servicing the Task Force is a committee comprised of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Communications Authority and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. The Communications Authority has been convening public discussions on the process, explaining issues like digital TV sets and counterfeit set-top box devices. Tanzania began consultations with stakeholders in 2005 already, based on a consultation document by the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority about the migration in general, and followed up in 2006 with another consultation document specifically on Multiplexing.

Targets Stalled
As resolute as the African nations seem with their self imposed targets, it appears they underestimated the challenges they may likely encounter in the process. The reality seems to have dawn on some of them and the result is evident in the sudden change of tune by countries, who were hitherto confident of meeting their set targets.
Until January this year, the Kenya broadcasting regulator, Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) was full of optimism in achieving complete switch over by December this year. But many were shocked when the regulatory body announced in January that it would not be able to meet its self imposed target. The Acting Director General of CCK, Mr Francis Wangusi, noted that the country had progressed slowly and it would be difficult to switch to digital even by the end of the year.
Prior to this announcement, analysts in the Kenyan broadcasting industry had expressed doubt on the country’s ability to meet the target, citing irreconcilable differences between the government and media owners as impediments. Information and Communication Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo, had admitted that the project was behind the schedule and blamed Media Owners Association (MOA) for the delay. But he insisted that “no matter how they frustrate the process the deadline will not be extended.”
It was reported that members of the MOA late last year pulled out their digital signals that were under testing at Signet, subsidiary company set up by the government under KBC to distribute digital signals.
The media owners are also locked in another fight with the government as they are required to apply for new broadcasting licenses from the CCK, but they have not done so. “MOA’s operating licenses expired last year January and they went to court protesting against the new law. That means they are broadcasting illegally,” Ndemo says. The court issued orders to sector regulator CCK restraining it from issue licenses until the case is heard and determined.
This bad blood between MOA and the state has stalled digital migration in Kenya. “It will be very sad for Kenya to go back to the ITU to seek an extension [of the deadline] all because some people do not want to accept that the world is migrating to digital broadcasting. We gave every broadcaster a free channel so that they give us new content as they continue to advertise on the analogue system, but for one full year they never gave us any content,” Ndemo lamented.
The CCK Director of Broadcasting and Policy Francis Wangusi points out another problem hampering digital migration: inadequate funding from Treasury. “Earlier we had anticipated that the government would have disbursed the funds to the Signet so that they could fast track the exercise, but the money was not forthcoming,” he said.
In the same vein, Uganda which is also in the framework of the East Africa target made a u-turn late last year, noting that the process would be hard to achieve within the set target period. Uganda’s state Minister for ICT Mr Nyombi Thembo, said digital migration is a huge process that will be hard to accomplish in the set time.
"We are looking at the December 2012 East Africa set deadline. However, as you may know the migration is not an event but a process, thus by 2012, we will have achieved digital migration in some parts of Uganda as we look at other regions in the years to follow," he said.
Again, broadcasters in the country are also reported to be embroiled in a bitter dispute over UBC's conflicted position as the sole signal distributor for digital services when it is also a competitor in the industry owning two TV and up to 20 radio stations. This, coupled with the fact that the Ugandan Government has not released any money for the switching project, and a controversial US$ 74m loan from China has been rejected by Parliament, have given credence to industry players’ scepticism that the country might not even meet  the June 2015 global deadline for the switch.

June 17: Any Hope for Nigeria?
In spite of the gloomy pictures painted by Kenya and Uganda and the air of uncertainty surrounding African countries in meeting their set targets of digital migration, the industry regulator in Nigeria seems to be surrounded with confidence of achieving its set target of June 17, 2012. Suffice it to say that this is amidst scepticism by some industry players, who feel the regulator needs to do more to convince the public of the possibility of that deadline being met.
But the Director General of NBC has given assurances that Nigeria is on course. At different fora, the NBC never for once minced his words on the readiness of the commission. Preparatory to the June 17 deadline, Bolarinwa said all satellite and cable broadcast transmissions in Nigeria have been fully digitised. By this, he said broadcasting in Nigeria will be the first to go truly digital in Africa just as Nigeria was the first country in Africa to establish a television station.
The NBC DG was quick to note that Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) has commenced fully in five major cities in Nigeria which include Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Kano and Kaduna with more cities expected to embrace the DTT before the end of this year.  He also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the June switch-over date, adding that the country currently has over 345 broadcast stations cutting across all tiers, Public Service, Commercial and Community, and that the commission had effectively ensured that these stations were given  positive direction, thereby ensuring quality broadcasting for the people.

The Long Wait for Policy Statement
While the NBC appears set to go to town with its plans for the migration and of course sensitise the public, it may have to wait a little longer before it could kick-off implementation despite the limited time available between now and June. According to the Director General of the NBC, Government’s White Paper on the digital migration process, which is expected to state the roles of all stakeholders, has not been released. Though optimistic that this would be released in the next few weeks, Bolarinwa noted that the Commission could only roll out its sensitization programmes, which would also include stakeholders’ conference when this is done.
In his words, “Digital Migration is not by individual, it is not by the broadcasters, and it is not by the regulator, because every Nigerian deserves the right to be informed, to be educated and be entertained. The rights are enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria to communicate and this freedom cannot be curtailed.  So, if you have a situation that you transit from analogue to digital and there is a black out for a group of Nigerians, then there is a problem. So, there must be government policy that says this should happen. And once that government policy is out, then it is government driven.”
“The government White Paper on it has not been released. And I can assure you, within the next few weeks, we are going to have a government white paper on it and then we can go to town for publicity, informing people about what it is because you now have the law.”
Bolarinwa also noted that the Presidential Advisory Committee set up under the administration of the late President Yar’Adua, has since presented its report  which detailed: “What and what to do at every step; the laws to be put in place, what is expected of Customs; Standards Organisation, Consumer Protection Agency, etc, if you are importing a television today, what kind of television are you importing; if you are importing analogue, what label should you put on it so that whoever is buying knows that at a particular point in time in the life of that equipment, he will not be able to receive signal without an additional equipment.”
Lack of Awareness
Be that as it may, some stakeholders in the Nigerian broadcasting industry are still doubtful of the country’s ability to meet its target on digital switchover. One key area being hammered by the sceptics is that up until this time, many Nigerians are still oblivious of the impending switch, let alone get prepared to purchase set top boxes, which will make them digitally compliant.
A communication Scholar and Head of Mass Communication Department, Caleb University, Prof. Lai Oso, once asked the question: “Are Nigerians really aware of digitisation and what they need to do before the switch-over date? I am sure, many people are not with digital TV monitors, meaning they will not be able to receive signals immediately the switchover is effected.” Oso also referred to other countries whose governments subsidised the procurement of set-up boxes to facilitate the reception of digital signals, querying that “in Nigeria, is government ready to do that?

Actions Required
A recent report from Association for Progressive Communications (APC) written by ICT expert Fola Odufuwa warns that Nigeria is unlikely to meet the target and that a serious shift in priorities is needed to even meet the obligatory 2015 target for all of West African nations.
Odufuwa suspects that Nigeria’s current overly-relaxed approach could be due to the fact that while a good deal of work has already been done – formulating national policies, developing migration strategies, and setting up high-powered Digital Implementation Team – the non-promulgation of enabling laws for the digital age, which is only a few weeks away, is of concern. Currently, efforts towards aggressively achieving set deadlines appear feeble, though the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is already promoting the transmission of digital signals through direct-to-home connections, private broadcasters have begun to replace their equipment, certain digital standards are being set, and new broadcasting and signal distribution models are currently being designed.
According to Odufuwa, another stumbling block to achieving the target is funding. He said funding needs to be put in place to purchase equipment including set top boxes, adding that while TV stations themselves need money to complete their installation process, set top boxes for the people of Nigeria stand high on the priority list.

Set top boxes: what hope?
Many Nigerians are concerned that there has not been a formal position on whether or not the government will assist them in acquiring set top boxes. Some say even in the United States of America, where the per capita is high, the government subsidised homes to purchase set top boxes; therefore, having the same in Nigeria will not be asking for too much.

Perhaps a respite in this regard would come with the assurance of the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who in a speech setting out the roadmap for her Ministry said the government was wooing foreign and local companies to invest in the digital TV set-top boxes production.
Noting that every single television in this country would have a set top box which would be used to receive digital signals, she said that there would be opportunities to manufacture at least 20 million Set Top boxes when this process starts, adding that for Nigeria to grow, it needs to start manufacturing digital devices locally.
“I don’t believe that we should repeat the same mistakes we made in the past. We are partnering with the Ministry of Trade and Investment to encourage and incentivize companies,  both those established inside and outside Nigeria to take advantage of the coming digital migration because there will be a need for industries that manufacture Set Top boxes.
However, if these arrangements would actually meet the June 17, 2012 or even the 2015 deadline is another topic to be debated. For as at present, there is no indication that anything of such has kicked off.

…And the Gloomy Stories Keep Coming
Kenya to Miss 2012 Digital TV Switch
January 4, 2012
Kenya will not be able to meet its self imposed deadline of switching to digital television by June this year. CCK had set the June deadline anticipating that supporting technology would have been rolled out by then but the acting director general, Mr. Francis Wangusi, acknowledged that the country had progressed slowly and it will be difficult to switch to digital even by the end of the year. The deadline for the global switch over is 2015.
State broadcaster KBC had been given the mandate to create a signal distribution network but has not been able to go outside Nairobi.

Uganda Will Not Beat Digital Migration Deadline, Says Government
November 24, 2011
The government of Uganda has said it is not certain of beating the December 31, 2012 deadline that requires East Africa member states to have switched from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Delay in migration from analogue to digital is likely to slow investment in business opportunities that accrue from digital transmission. Addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday at the launch of the Comesa digital migration workshop in Kampala, Mr Nyombi Thembo, the state minister for ICT, said digital migration is a huge process that will be hard to accomplish in the set time.
"We are looking at the December 2012 East Africa set deadline. However, as you may know the migration is not an event but a process, thus by 2012, we will have achieved digital migration in some parts of Uganda as we look at other regions in the years to follow," he said.
Mr Thembo's pronouncement, however, contradicts the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation's position that insists that Uganda will beat the set deadline. Mr Paul Kihika, acting UBC managing director, told participants at the same workshop that Uganda was ready for the migration and would thus beat the regional deadline.
Recently while appearing before a Parliamentary Committee, Mr Godfrey Mutabazi the Uganda Communications Commission executive director, told parliamentarians that the commission mandated to implement the switching process was not certain whether it would be able to beat the December 31, 2012 deadline.

Digital deadline 'Not Doable'
June 6, 2011
Government's self-imposed deadline – to turn off analogue signal at the end of 2013 – isn't achievable. Government's conviction that South Africa will turn off analogue television at the end of 2013 isn't achievable, and even the international mid-2015 deadline is optimistic at best.
South Africans shouldn't expect digital television next April as neither STBs nor TVs will be ready on time, says the industry. The country is migrating to digital television using the European DVB-T2 standard, and has set itself the ambitious target of turning off analogue broadcast by the end of 2013, a year-and-a-half before the global deadline.
Moving to digital television will free up large chunks of spectrum – the so-called digital dividend. This white space can be used to speed up broadband rollout, especially in rural areas, which have historically been overlooked, while metropolitans reaped the benefits of wireless broadband.
However, the industry says SA won't be able to turn on digital television next April, and the goal to turn analogue off by the end of 2013 will not be achieved. Even the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline of mid-2015 is “optimistic”, say industry players. As a result, it will be several more years before the digital dividend can be freed up, as the Independent Communications Authority of SA can't allocate spectrum in the free space until SA has moved off analogue.
Even when SA manages to turn off the analogue signal, many South Africans won't have access to television, because the behind-the-scenes support framework will not be in place and digital TV is more complicated to access than old-style analogue.
On track?
Communications minister Roy Padayachie has declared that SA will launch digital television commercially next April. During his budget speech, last week, he said: “Significant progress has already been made in implementing the broadcasting digital migration policy for SA.”
The minister noted the “department will implement interventions to ensure SA migrates to digital broadcasting by 2013”. Padayachie said the period between the end of 2013 and the ITU deadline will be used to iron out any migration issues.
No chance
However, the industry says there is too much work to be done before SA can go digital. Bertus Bresler, who heads up Reunert's set-top box (STB) project, says government won't make the 2013 deadline, which will – at best – be the start of switch off in some cities. He says the 2015 deadline is optimistic, but possible.

Bresler expects SA to still be migrating to digital television after the ITU's international deadline, and the move could even spill over into 2016. Only very small countries have achieved switchover in three years, he says.
For SA to migrate successfully, about 10 million households would need to either buy STBs to convert the new signal for viewing on old TV sets, or new televisions with built-in digital tuners. Bresler says the industry is unlikely to have decoders in supermarkets to meet government's April turn-on deadline. He says STBs and new televisions will only hit supermarket shelves in about July or August next year.
Lead times
To meet the April deadline, boxes would need to be in the supply chain in February, which means manufacture must start in December, but getting components will take several months due to long lead times, Bresler notes.
He says manufacturers can't place orders for components before the South African Bureau of Standards has wrapped up sorting out the specifications, which will only happen towards the end of the year.
However, he adds, progress is being made and there are synergies between government and the industry, which makes it very likely SA will be able to tune into digital TV from next year. Altech UEC MD Rodger Warren points out STB manufacturers can't start making decoders until national specifications are wrapped up, which should happen in September this year. After that, it will take at least eight months to get boxes to market, which means decoders will be on shelves around June next year, he explains.
WWW Strategy MD Steven Ambrose says urban areas will be “wired up” first, but government will struggle to have all the rural areas connected in time for switch off. He says it's likely many South Africans won't have TV well into 2020.
Ambrose says SA has “neglected the behind the scenes stuff”, and issues such as support to help people get set up to receive digital television haven't been properly thought out. He notes that installation and maintenance networks, as well as a help centre, are vital because turning on digital TV isn't as simple as plugging in a cable.
“There's a whole layer of service that doesn't exist... the disadvantaged will become more disadvantaged.” However, Padayachie says it's too early to comment on the industry's concerns. “The industry is confident we will be ready.”
                                                           

Funding Slows Africa’s Digital Migration Rollout
December 1, 2011
Most African countries are facing financial hurdles and social problems in their quest for migration to digital broadcasting system a regional summit heard yesterday.
Representatives of various African governments attending the Digital Migration and Spectrum policy Summit in Nairobi all acknowledged challenges in equipment and capacity building funding problems and social problems associated with public understanding of the process.
"To provide households with the right equipment by means of loans is not easy as loans are not widespread and hence not easy to access especially for the modest homes," said Congo Brazaville's Director to the Cabinet William Fidele Ebondza.
African countries have until June 2015 to migrate to the digital broadcast and transmission system which most of America and Europe has already adopted. Migration to digital broadcast is expected to free up frequency spectrums which will in turn leave more room for other broadband services like expansion of internet services via the mobile phones.
In digital transmission, broadcasting companies will only have the role of content providers will government through contracted parties will undertake the job to distribute the content. The freed spectrum caused by the migration also known as the digital dividend will then be tapped to advance broadband services.
Nigeria which is one of the most advanced countries in terms of efforts to achieve total digital migration, four out of six commercial cities are on Digital transmission though the acquisition of set top boxes which convert analog signals to digital remains a problem according to Abayomi Olaiya Bolarinwa, the Director of Communications for Nigeria.
He added that government subsidies to ease acquisition of these boxes cannot be considered since the petroleum subsidies introduced by the government years ago had left a bad taste in the mouth. "We are not looking forward to any subsidy what we are doing is public and private sector cooperation to drive this migration," noted Bolarinwa.
Kenya on the other hand reported that migration efforts are on course ahead of its analogue switch off target of 2012 adding that the digital transmission signal will be launched early next month. "There is no doubt that we are on the move given the many activities taking place behind the scenes," Information and Communications Minister Samuel Poghisio told the summit.
However it emerged that while challenges were many, most governments had initiated the process of regulation and development of the migration process. Only South Sudan which reported that most broadcast equipment and regulatory bodies were now part of North Sudan was at the initial stages of migration.
Consequently, S.Sudan has sought help from the African Telecommunications Union and the International Telecommunications Union for capacity building and help in setting up regulatory framework and infrastructure for communications.

FAQs on Digital Broadcasting

Why Are We Migrating from Analogue to Digital?
The main reason for the world’s migration to digital is to release valuable spectrum which can be used for other services.  Spectrum is scarce; therefore more efficient use of the spectrum is necessary if more terrestrial telecommunications and broadcasting services are to be made available.  Currently, analogue broadcasting is protected from interference, but this protection will stop by 2015.  It is therefore necessary for all countries to complete the migration from analogue to digital by 2015.

After the migration to digital broadcasting, can I Still Use My Old Analogue TV Set? How?
Yes. After the switch over is completed, your analogue TV set is not obsolete. However, there are some steps you must take to be able to continue to use it. To ensure continued use of your analogue set, you must do one of the following:
Use a digital-to-analogue converter box.
Connect to a subscription service such as cable or satellite TV.
In addition, analogue sets should continue to work with gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products that you use now.
Analogue sets equipped with a converter box will display the digital broadcasts, but not in full digital quality. This converter box, much like your cable box, will allow you to receive a picture, but it won't be able to show high-definition pictures or give you access to other digital services.

What is a Set Top Box (STB)?
The Set Top Box is a receiver that will decode the digital signal to enable the channels to be displayed on your analogue television set. This Set Top Box will plug directly into your TV set.
Why Do I Need a Set Top Box?
You need a device that decodes the digital signal received via a standard aerial antenna and supplies the TV set with a video signal. Without the Set Top Box you will be unable to view the digital television services on your television set.
Can I Use My UHF/VHF Antenna to Receive DTV?
Yes. Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF (channels 2-13) and UHF (channels 14-51) bands. Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band.
Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly. Many antennas currently being sold as “HDTV Antennas,” perform best at receiving UHF signals; some of these models state that they provide reception of signals on channels 7-13 but actually perform less well receiving those channels. When acquiring a new antenna, be sure to talk to retail consultants and look at information on the packaging and/or the Internet to make sure that any new antenna you may choose provides good reception of both VHF and UHF channels. In addition, if you use an indoor antenna and receive signals on VHF channels, you may need to use an antenna with amplification.

Will the Digital Transition Affect TV Sets That Are Connected to Cable Services?
No. If you subscribe to cable service, the DTV transition will not affect any TV sets that are connected to your cable services. The DTV transition applied only to full-power broadcast television stations -- stations that use the public airwaves to transmit their programming to viewers through a broadcast antenna.

How Do I Improve DTV Signal Strength?
Your DTV reception can be affected by terrain, trees, buildings, the weather, damaged equipment, as well as antenna type, location, and orientation. It can be improved just by changing the location of the antenna you’re using now. Moving your antenna away from other objects and structures, or placing it higher, can often improve reception. The performance of outdoor antennas can degrade over time due to exposure to the weather. Also, you may consider installing a signal booster, which should improve reception.

Can DTV Reception be Affected by Moving Vehicles and Weather?
Your DTV reception can be affected by nearby moving vehicles, such as cars, trucks, trains and airplanes. In some instances, shadowing or reflections from these vehicles may cause your digital picture to temporarily break-up or even disappear completely. If this occurs, you should try moving or reorienting your antenna to find a position that provides the most reliable reception. If you are using an indoor antenna, switching to an outdoor antenna system which may include a directional antenna or rotor could improve reception. In severe cases it may not be possible to completely eliminate the effect of nearby traffic. If reception remains unsatisfactory due to these disruptions, viewers may wish to consider alternatives such as cable or satellite service.

Your DTV reception can also be affected by severe weather conditions such as storms and high winds. These reception issues can result from fluctuations in the broadcast signal that can be caused, for example, by moving leaves and branches on trees. You can minimize the effects of high winds or storms by re-orienting your antenna to obtain the strongest available signal. If this does not work, a better indoor antenna or an outdoor antenna may help. In addition, make sure that outdoor antenna mounts are secure to minimize any movement caused by the wind. If you lose reception of a particular channel during severe weather conditions try tuning to other channels that remain available for weather advisory information or alerts.

Awareness and Preparation for Digital Migration in Africa

Being an extract from the booklet: ‘Challenges and Perspectives of Digital
Migration for African Media’

By Guy Berger

This section deals with awareness, preparation and perspectives in Africa in general. Southern Africa is mainly cited by way of examples. It has been difficult to track information about many other regions. For example, for West Africa information could only be sourced about aspects of digital migration in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Benin.

South Africa is a frontrunner in terms of policy and practice for digital migration. This has been framed in highly political terms. Deputy Minister of Communications Dina Pule said in September 2009 that digital migration needed to be “people-driven, and people-centred” in terms of which “our people are the determinant and the beneficiaries of this venture both socially and economically”. She went on to say that the digital dividend should allow for additional TV and radio stations “particularly those that are community-based”. Further, the “imminent multi-channel digital television services must be biased towards local content production and programming and growing the local content production industry”.

Another political approach to digital migration was expressed in December 2009, by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, who spoke as follows:
“The Government is committed to giving the private sector the space to exploit the power of digital technology. The Government will however ensure that the public interest is secured. We will continue to make certain that valuable public broadcasting frequencies are put to good use by broadcasters. Indeed, the expansion of the broadcasting arena must also be matched by responsible action by all players. We must use the expanded broadcasting space to build on our national unity and expound on the development agenda.”
The South African approach has been taken further in the decision by that country’s government to subsidise 70 per cent of the cost of a set-top box for an estimated five million households (of a total of nine million viewing households), who will not be able to afford the device (estimated retail cost $60 - $100 for a basic box). As noted earlier, there is still debate over how the subsidy will be administered. Retailers are reluctant to take this on board, but if the support went directly to manufacturers, it would mean spreading the subsidy to all citizens rather than the poor, by reducing the wholesale price of boxes in general.
A similar dispute exists with manufacturers who do not want to take the risk of manufacturing boxes that the market may not necessarily buy. They want government to place major orders to kick-start the process. What also arises in all this is the matter of installation, support and repair costs for set-top boxes – how these services will be covered still needs to be determined. The Digital Dzonga stakeholder group has estimated that between 300 000 and 1.2 million boxes could be adopted in the first year after “market launch” if basic conditions are met (including new digital channels being licensed and actually being broadcast). What all this indicates is that even with a policy framework in place, and an institution to drive the process, digital migration is still a very complex and lengthy phenomenon – and that is not even talking about migration of radio.
At the same time as digital migration is framed in pro-poor terms by government, South Africa is one of the few African countries where there is some similarity to developed country environments in terms of rationales for undertaking the process.
Experts say that in the province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, it is currently necessary to use 60 frequencies to provide six analogue terrestrial television services. All these could, in principle, fit onto a single digital frequency, freeing up the equivalent bandwidth of 59 frequencies.

Botswana also says that it is finding it problematic to get more frequencies for analogue TV broadcasting. To these extents, there is a case for digital migration – although the costs are still a matter in terms of which the benefits need to be weighed.
If South Africa’s Digital Dzonga stakeholder group was one of the early moves in Africa to help shape digital migration, a number of other countries have also been active in taking similar steps.
In Ghana, the Ministry of Communications said it would start setting up an inclusive national migration committee in late 2008, and pilot steps towards digital broadcasting have been taken by the players in that country’s TV industry. Steps towards stakeholder committees have also been taken in Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Rwanda. The latter-named has set 2012 as its deadline for migration. Chinese-owned Star Media was reported to be broadcasting via DVB-T to 5000 subscribers in Rwanda by the end of 2008, and to have plans to expand to Uganda and Burundi.
Trials for digital broadcast in Rwanda started in 2005, carrying CNN, TV5 and Rwanda Television. In Uganda, a DTT pilot of seven channels was commenced in November 2009, involving a company called Next Generation Broadcasting in partnership with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC). The country’s self-imposed deadline is to complete television migration by December 2012.
In Botswana, a Digital Migration Task Force was announced in May 2009 as a body that includes industry, government and civil society advocacy group the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Botswana chapter). The target date for switch-off is January 2014. The country has already converted six of 38 transmitters to be digitally-capable. It envisages a Production Fund being set up to promote local content in digital broadcasting, as well as a “Content Standards Board”. Lesotho’s TV transmitters were purchased three years ago, and are digitally ready, but the country’s officials say they are concerned about how content for additional digital channels could be paid for.
Zambia’s government has set up a National Task Force on Digital Migration as a multi-stakeholders’ body to develop a roadmap and oversee the migration. Servicing the Task Force is a committee comprised of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Communications Authority and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. The Communications Authority has been convening public discussions on the process, explaining issues like digital TV sets and counterfeit set-top box devices. Tanzania began consultations with stakeholders in 2005 already, based on a consultation document by the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority about the migration in general, and followed up in 2006 with another consultation document specifically on Multiplexing.
Consultative practice is a subject of some dispute in Nigeria. The government there reportedly came under criticism in 2009 for allegedly allocating exclusive management of digital transition to the National Broadcasting Commission. Ben Egbuna, veteran broadcast manager and former director general of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), has called on the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the umbrella industry association of public and private broadcasters, to become involved. However, a Digital Broadcasting Migration Working Group has been established by government, and a stakeholder meeting was held in Abuja in June 3, 2008. This gathering referred to the need to embrace the new technology so as not to become a dumping ground for obsolete analogue equipment (although, as argued earlier, a case can be made for African countries to profit by buying up redundant equipment and provide a longer life for analogue until there really is good reason to commence migration). Attending the stakeholder event were various government ministries plus private broadcasting stations, policy makers, law makers, non-governmental organisations and members of the general public.
According to the National Broadcasting Commission, the Abuja meeting urged government to drive the process by providing infrastructure, funding and setting up an implementation task force. The regulator’s role, according to the Commission’s own website, was defined as being to educate stakeholders “on the implications of the switchover including the social benefits and the timetable”. (No mention was made, however, of the costs in relation to the assumed benefits). The regulator would further execute a migration strategy, including setting standards for set-top boxes, enforcing dates, and “insisting on systems synergy to permit consumer mobility between providers”.
Following this meeting, in October 2008 the Nigerian government set up the “Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting”, which includes various state and private sector members, as well as the Consumer Protection Council and even a newspaper company. This body is tasked with producing a report that the government will use to produce a White Paper and subsequent legislation. Its terms of reference are to:
• Recommend a policy on digital terrestrial broadcast transition using global best practices.
• Recommend appropriate regulatory framework.
• Recommend a National Broadcasting Model.
• Assess impact of digitization on the consumers and recommend possible government intervention.
• Determine the quantum of expected digital dividend.
• Assess environmental impact of digitization, if any, and recommend steps to be taken.
• Advise government on any action relevant to smooth the transition in Nigeria.
Nigeria has set June 17, 2012 as its analogue switch-off date. Meanwhile, 2009 saw the launch of HITV, a DTT operator, in Nigeria, providing 24 channels, including English Premier League soccer and other European football footage. Also in the mix is Hi-nolly (Nigerian videos) and Nigezie (a music channel which claims a 90 per cent local content).
Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communication is reported to have developed a “Digital Kenya” project with a Digital Kenya Secretariat based in its regulatory body, the Communications Commission of Kenya. An “Analogue to Digital Broadcasting Migration” task force reported in October 2007, having involved stakeholders from government, the Media Owners Association, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the Media Council of Kenya and the Association of Practitioners in Advertising (APA). This report in turn led to the creation in early 2008 of an 11-member committee consisting of experts from private and public sectors. Kenya’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication is reported to have said in September 2009: “… (D)igital television will not only improve on our quality of TV signals, but will also create room for more broadcasters…”. Already in October 2007, the country’s regulatory body, the Communications Commission of Kenya, had received the final report of the National Task Force on Digital Migration, which body had been launched in March by the Kenyan government. There was substantial public consultation in the process, including on the draft recommendations and culminating in a stakeholders’ forum before the report was finalised. In February 2009, it was announced that signal distributors would start being licensed for the migration, with switch-off envisaged in 2012.

What these developments show is that several African governments have commenced preparations at an institutional level, but also that a number have set a very tight deadline for completion. This envisages a short transition, long before the 2015 or 2020 deadline of the ITU, but it is probably very unrealistic in most cases.

Recommendations to Stakeholders
This section is about specific recommendations to the various stakeholders (broadcasters, content producers, policy-makers, media-support organisations, public interest groups, African Union, ECOWAS and other relevant African regional governmental organisations and donors). It assesses their roles in regard to the digital migration process. The recommendations are:
Don’t rush onto the bandwagon
The first point to make is that there is no need to panic, or to feel that African countries will be forever left far behind the rest of the world if there is no scramble to embark on digital migration. The mentality of “we must catch-up” is a manifestation of an inferiority complex, when instead African countries should take as their starting point their real conditions, achievements, potentials and priorities. As argued in this booklet, the drivers of digital migration are specific to forces within developed countries who seek more use of the airwaves and to sell new consumer gadgets to access broadcasting. North-South and South-North dynamics, however, should be put in perspective by taking proper cognisance of the differences between the two zones. In the developing world, the analogue airwaves have not reached choking point, there is not generally a scarcity of frequency, and the public is also not generally a mass market for the latest devices.
Even the ITU ‘deadline’ of 2015 (in fact 2020 for two thirds of Africa) should not be of too much concern to Africans. Moreover, throwing volumes of energy and resources at digital migration is not guaranteed to make 2015 anyway, given the complexity and immensity of the process. That being the case, African broadcasting (and especially radio) can wait (and indeed keep growing via analogue systems) until such time as there really is congestion on analogue frequencies, and until the point when there are extremely cheap consumer devices on the market for audiences to acquire. Over time, hybrid devices, able to receive digital and analogue signals, will reduce in price and begin to permeate African societies – leading to “a tipping point” moment when it makes sense for broadcasters to transmit in digital in earnest. In the meantime, investment can and will (and should) continue in digital production technologies, even if transmission and reception remain analogue. In addition, any African content that could find markets outside the continent can easily be converted into digital format if it is to be broadcast in places that have digital channels.

Get the big picture – of which digital migration is just one part
The second recommendation is that Africa should not continue business-as-usual. All stakeholders need to educate themselves about the issues. There is a huge misunderstanding amongst politicians and broadcasters, and the media community has often compounded this with confused reporting. As mentioned earlier, African countries could do well to develop national versions of “Digital Britain”, which sets out targets and roles for digital developments across the board over the next decade. Digital communications can help to build media and information pluralism. They can provide access to public information issues, even for disadvantaged communities. But this requires a clear policy and strategic framework to be developed, which locates digital migration within a wider horizon, and which allocates limited resources appropriate to the bigger digital picture of building an African Information Society.
Specific leadership is called for in these regards from players like the SADC and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The latter already has a commitment to common standards for communications policies, laws and regulations, and has demonstrated initiative in forming the West African Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) in 2002.

A call for co-operation
A third recommendation flows from the evidence that no single player can ensure the success of the transition to DTT, let alone the longer-term issue of digital radio. In developing policy therefore, governments should be sure to involve all stakeholder groups in meaningful ways. These should not ignore groups like retail distributors whose input should be taken on board early on – not least so that they begin programmes to educate their salespeople about what is coming down the pipeline. Implementation that follows will require co-ordination of these parties, and there also need to be clear regulations laid down – preferably by an independent regulator. No one will move unless others move, and potential deadlocks need to be broken. Thus, broadcasters need to know that it is worth doing digital output because there are set-top boxes being made and supplied; the manufacturers and retailers need to know that there is this broadcast output so that there will be a market for their devices. What these groups need to grasp is that digital migration is not a technical issue, but ultimately a behavioural-change process amongst themselves and amongst the public, and a process that needs education and communication at its heart.
Look at alternatives to DTT
Fourth, as regards radio in particular, a case can be made that developing this medium in Africa should concentrate on overcoming the economic and political obstacles that limit the effective use of FM analogue frequencies. And then, rather than look to digital terrestrial radio, the focus should be on other digital platforms, like satellite, DTT (via DVB-T+, also known as DVB-T2) and mobile broadcasting (DVB-H). Internet radio is hostage to the development of cheap and ubiquitous broadband, probably by wireless means, in Africa. SABC, however, expects that IPTV will have a 30% share of the South African market by 2013. The figure for radio may be similar or greater. For other countries, a diaspora market may be prepared to pay for podcasts, even if live-streaming of audio is not likely to be economical for most radio stations.

Digitising community radio
As a fifth recommendation, community radio stations can take cognisance of the rise of social networking by Internet or cellphone technologies. This phenomenon is close to the heart of community media, and digital technologies allow community radio stations to link into it for more impact. In other words, although digital migration is not a prospect for community radio in Africa for at least ten years, there is still a lot of benefit from other digital developments.
To this end, community radios should go further than SMS interactions, and consider text-based social networking around their content (on a model similar to the Mxit.co.za application popular amongst South African youth). They should also set up mobile websites that are easily accessible by cellphones. If many members of the public are willing to download ringtones, there is no reason why community stations cannot distribute some of their content in a similar way. Finally, digital technology enables networking amongst community radio stations in very powerful ways. In this way, content can be exchanged, and ideas and experience can be shared. Scale can be created through convergent digital communications so as to leverage extra advertising, sponsorship or donor-funding across several stations.

African broadcasting as a pro-active force
Lastly, all broadcasters can assert themselves as part of a community of interest in all things digital, and help ensure that digital migration is not something imposed on them and their audiences, but evolved in relation to real needs and capacities. Those broadcasters (whether state-owned, community-owned or company-owned), who are committed to public interest programming, can particularly play a role in shaping digital communications towards providing pluralism, diversity and the widest public access.
In conclusion, if there is one thing this booklet shows about digital migration for radio is that the technical standards are diverse and indeed in flux. To get stuck in an outdated standard, such as in the UK, is not a healthy place to be. The moral of the story is that Africa can afford to bide its time – both in terms of digital terrestrial television, and especially in terms of migration to digital audio.
At the same time, it is imperative to acknowledge that radio people should not think they have no worries just because digital migration for years will still focus on TV spectrum. On the contrary: there are still implications for analogue radio. The point is that analogue radio needs to see itself as a current in a widening sea where digital is gaining momentum. This highlights the need to develop connections to many other digital currents, including (but not only) that of DTT which (regulations permitting) can deliver pure audio. The field for traditional radio to engage with is all platforms that deliver (digital) sound broadcasts: satellite, DTT, Internet (wired, wireless), cellular technologies and – although they are still far distant in African conditions – even digital sound technologies (DRM, DAB, DMB, etc) via dedicated audio broadcast Multiplexes.
If radio people do not take cognisance of the changes around them, they will find themselves the Cinderellas of digital migration – languishing at home, instead of showing off at the ball. They need to develop partnerships and to play on these different platforms, for instance, supplying audio-only channels for digital TV, where the viewing set (and in future, the cellphone) will serve as a radio receiver and, to an extent, supplant conventional radio sets. They need to contribute to the design of TV set-top boxes, enabling viewers and listeners to respond to audio content coming through digital TV transmissions. In short, they need to play across the entire network of information and communications technologies. And although their game remains primarily audio, they also need to engage through extra-audio features, such as SMS and online options or (in time) digital images.
Above all, the digital age is engendering new behaviours and radio stakeholders need to remember that consumers are showing that they want to do more than be confined to the status of passive consumers, which is the intrinsic character of unilinear traditional radio broadcasts.

Professor Guy Berger is head of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at RhodesUniversity, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Diary of Digital Migrations across the World

Completed Transitions

Netherlands: The country moved to digital broadcasting on Monday, 11 December 2006. The switch-off was helped greatly by the fact that about 90 per cent of the households subscribe to cable systems which continue to use analogue distribution, thus their old tuners continued to be useful.
Finland: Finland ceased analogue terrestrial transmissions nationwide at 04:00, Saturday, September 1, 2007, (switch-off was previously planned for the midnight after August 31 but a few extra hours were added for technical reasons). This was controversial as the cost of a digital TV set in Finland was heavily criticised and saw a substantial decrease in how much pay the television license. Cable TV viewers continued to receive analogue broadcasts until the end of February 2008.
Sweden: The switch-off of the analogue terrestrial network progressed region–by–region. It started on the island of Gotland on Tuesday, September 19, 2005, and was completed on Monday, October 29, 2007, when the last analogue SVT1 transmitters in Blekinge and western Scania were shut down. Cable distributors are allowed to continue broadcasting analogue television.  Switzerland began with the switch-off on Monday, July 24, 2006 in Ticino and continued with Engadin on Monday, November 13, 2006. The switch-off was completed on Monday, November 26, 2007.
Germany started the switch-off in the Berlin area, beginning on Friday, November 1, 2002 and completing on Monday, August 4, 2003. "Simulcast" digital transmissions started in other parts of the country in an effort to prepare for a full switchover. The switch-off of terrestrial analogue transmitters was completed on Tuesday, November 25, 2008, except one main transmitter in Bad Mergentheim which was shut down in June 2009. Analogue cable and satellite broadcasts remain available for the time being; the public broadcasters announced to switch off those services in 2012.
Isle of Man: Switched off all analogue services on Thursday, July 16, 2009.
Meridian Province: Ended its analogue broadcasts on 31 August 2009.
Anglia Province: Ended its analogue broadcasts on 31 August 2009.
Denmark: Switched off all analogue services at midnight on Sunday, November 1, 2009.
Norway: The switch-off of the analogue transmissions started in March 2008 and was completed on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. Norway started its DTT service on the Saturday, September 1, 2007.
Belgium: Media regulations are under regional legislation. Flanders switched off analogue television on Monday, November 3, 2008, while in Wallonia, all analogue services were switched off on Monday, March 1, 2010, making Belgium completely full digital nationwide.
Spain: The switch-off of the analogue transmissions was completed on Saturday, April 3, 2010. Spain started its DTT service on Wednesday, November 30, 2005.
Latvia: Analogue television completely converted to digital broadcasting on Tuesday, June 1, 2010.
Estonia's analogue television was switched off completely on Thursday, 1 July 2010.
Croatia: Analogue television broadcasts were switched off for all national TV channels on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 at 12:35 and for local TV channels on 20 November 2010.
Slovenia: The switch-off on main transmitters was completed on Wednesday, 1 December 2010. The last local analogue transmitters were switched off on 30 June 2011.
Luxembourg shut down their last analogue transmitter on UHF Channel 21 on Friday, 31 December 2010.
 Israel: The country started digital transmissions in MPEG-4 on Sunday, 2 August 2009 and analogue transmissions ended on 31 March 2011. Israel is the first nation in Asia to shut down analogue signals.
Wales: The vast majority of transmitters stopped broadcasting just after midnight on 1 April 2010. However analogue transmissions were still broadcast from the New Radnor and Garth Hill transmitters in Wales, until 20 April 2011.
Monaco switched off their analogue TV broadcasts on 24 May 2011.
Austria: Began analogue switch-off on Monday, 5 March 2007, progressing from the west to the east. The analogue broadcast was shut down nationwide at the end of 2010 regarding the main transmitters. The last analogue translators were switched off on 7 June 2011.
Scotland ended its analogue broadcasts on 22 June 2011.

Cyprus terminated all analogue transmissions on 30 June 2011 and moved to only digital transmissions in MPEG-4 on 1 July 2011.
 Malta terminated all analogue services on Monday, 31 October 2011. The switchoff was originally planned for 1 June 2011 but got delayed for unknown reasons.
France (including overseas departments and territories such as Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna) switched off all analogue services on Tuesday, 29 November 2011.

Transitions in progress
Argentina: Digital television broadcasts started on Tuesday, 9 September 2008 in Buenos Aires. The analogue network will be terminated on Sunday, 1 September 2019.
Australia: Digital television commenced in Australia's five most populous cities on Monday, January 1, 2001. Digital switchover will be complete by Tuesday, 31 December 2013 with Mildura being the first region to terminate its analogue network on 30 June 2010. Until the switchoff in the respective area, free-to-air stations will be simulcast, along with digital-only channels like ABC2. Cable television networks began simulcasting in 2004 and analogue cable services were switched off in April 2007. The switchover is being co-ordinated by the Digital Switchover Taskforce operating under the federal Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Azerbaijan: Began analogue switch-off on 17 October 2010, is expected to complete by early 2012.
Bolivia: Started on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, is expected to complete by 2012.
Brazil: Began free-to-air HD digital transmissions, after a period of test broadcasts, on Sunday, 2 December 2007 in São Paulo, expanding in January 2008 to Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Digital broadcasts was phased into the other 23 state capitals by the end of 2009, and to the remaining cities by December 31, 2013. Analogue and digital simulcasts will continue until Wednesday, 29 June 2016, when analogue will be discontinued. The main broadcasters (Globo, Record, Band, SBT and RedeTV!) are simulcasting in analogue and digital broadcast, in standard definition and 1080i high definition.
Bulgaria: Will complete its analogue switch-off on Friday, 21 December 2012.
Canada: Canada's DTV transition was complete in mandatory markets on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. Some CBC analogue transmitters in mandatory markets have been permitted to operate until August 31, 2012, though CBC does not have plans to convert these transmitters to digital and in fact plans on seeking further extensions. Also on August 31, 2011, all full power TV transmitters had to vacate channels 52 to 69. Low-power analogue transmitters and analogue transmitters not in the CRTC's mandatory markets are allowed to continue operations.
Czech Republic started the switch-off in September 2007 and had plans to finish by November 2011 (some regions June 2012). The areas of Domažlice, West Bohemia, Prague, Central Bohemia, and South Bohemia have already switched off analogue broadcasting of ČT2.
Gibraltar: Gibraltar will cease analogue in December 2012. A concrete date will be announced in June or July 2012.
Greece plans to switch off analogue broadcasting in 2013.
Hong Kong's analogue broadcasting was planned to be switched off by 2012. However, it has been postponed to end 2015.
Hungary was originally going to switch off analogue broadcasting on 1 January 2012, but was delayed to 1 January 2015. This change was left out of the official English translation of the Hungarian Media Act.
Iceland will cease all analogue broadcasting in 2013.
Iran commenced broadcasting digital TV in 2009 choosing DVB-T MPEG-4 standard, with 40 per cent of population having had access to digital TV by mid 2011. The switch over to digital TV will be completed by 2015 and all analogue signals will be pulled from air.
Ireland's broadcaster RTÉ made its digital television service Saorview available to most of the population on 29 October 2010; the first channels available to terrestrial only in digital form were RTÉ Two HD and RTÉ News Now followed shortly afterwards by 3e. Analogue terrestrial will stop on 24 October 2012. There has been no confirmation on when analogue cable will stop, and many major cable companies (i.e. UPC Ireland) are still actively offering analogue. Analogue satellite was discontinued on 27 September 2001.
Italy previously scheduled its blackout to occur in late 2006 but was delayed to Wednesday, 12 December 2012, as enacted by Italian law ("Legge 29 novembre 2007, n. 222").
Japan shut down all analogue satellite and most of the analogue terrestrial television on Sunday, 24 July 2011, except for 3 prefectures destroyed or heavily damaged by 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which will stop analogue broadcasting on 31 March 2012. Analogue high-definition television broadcast ended on Sunday, 30 September 2007. Many television stations across the country have already begun broadcasting simultaneously in digital.
Kenya became the second African country after South Africa to start digital broadcasting on Wednesday, 9 December 2009. The analogue network is set to be switched off in June 2012.

Lithuania: The government aims to switch off all analogue television broadcasting on Monday, 29 October 2012.
Macedonia: The switch-off will be completed in 2015.
Mexico: Analogue shutdown was originally scheduled to occur in 2021, but on 2 September 2010, Mexican president Felipe Calderón, in its Fourth Report of the Government, advanced the analogue shutdown from 2021 to 2015, with transition beginning in 2011. Some digital signals are already on-air, the first being Tijuana's XETV – an English-language affiliate of The CW serving primarily San Diego, California. Groups of cities which are required to simulcast digitally are added in descending order of size, with full coverage of the smallest centers required by 2015.
New Zealand: The New Zealand government is planning to switch to digital-only by the end of 2013. Trackside was the first channel to switch off its nationwide analogue transmissions on 31 July 2011. The first regions to switch off will be Hawke's Bay and West Coast on 30 September 2012. The remainder of the South Island will follow on 28 April 2013; the Lower North Island and East Cape on 29 September 2013; and finally the Upper North Island on 1 December 2013.
Pan-Arab commenced broadcasting digital TV on Thursday, 3 July 1997 choosing DVB-T MPEG-4 standard and will terminate all analogue transmissions by Monday, March 31, 2014. (Saudi T.V. Channel 1, MBC, OSN First, Arab Series Channel, Al Yawm Channel, LBC Sat, JSC, MBC Action, MBC 4, OSN News, FOX)
Peru: Digital television broadcasts started in Lima on March 2010 and plans to close down analogue on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.
Poland: Analogue broadcasts will stop on Wednesday, 31 July 2013. (DVB-T in Poland)
Portugal: Digital broadcasts started on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Portugal's government hopes to cover 80 per cent of the territory with DTV by the end of 2009, and simulcasts will remain until Thursday, April 26, 2012, when the analogue broadcasting ends.
Philippines: The Philippine Government will terminate all analogue transmissions by Thursday, December 31, 2015. Although, according to the National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines, they will introduce first DTV to the country's main cities Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao. Some transmissions are currently in test broadcast, just like in the government-owned station National Broadcasting Network which is transmitting signal coming from its analogue broadcast. The first fully operational DTV Station in the country is the Christian Era Broadcasting Service or GEM TV.
Romania plans to switch off analogue broadcasting by 1 January 2015.
 Russia has announced that the switch-off is to be completed in 2015.

 Serbia launched its first DTT transmissions in 2005. The first DTT-only channel was made available in 2008. Analogue will be removed from air on 4 April 2012.
 Slovakia: The government aims to complete the digital switchover by 2012.
 South Korea's analogue transmissions will terminate at 04:00 on Monday, 31 December 2012. Until that time, major broadcasters like MBC, SBS or other affiliated networks, KBS will broadcast both analogue and digital TV in most major cities.
 Taiwan: Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Taiwan on Friday, 2 July 2004. Currently, there are simulcasts of analogue and digital television. Analogue television will stop working by the end of June 2012.
 Thailand launched DVB-T2 on January 25, 2011, transition will start in 2012 and finish on Thursday, 9 April 2015.
 United Kingdom: The transition started on Wednesday, 17 October 2007 with Whitehaven in Cumbria, and is proceeding to a transmitter switchover timetable, implemented by region. The last transmitters will be switched over during 2012; these will be London, Meridian, Tyne Tees and Ulster. All analogue broadcasting will finish on 24 October 2012. However, this only applies to the terrestrial network; analogue cable is still allowed to broadcast for now, however Virgin Media has plans to shut down its analogue service by January 2012. Analogue satellite was discontinued on 27 September 2001.