Digital switch over: Nigeria may not meet June 17 deadline

About six months to the June 17 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for all countries in the world to switch over from analogue to digital television broadcasting, it has emerged that Nigeria may not meet the deadline, Daily Trust can report.But the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said the switch over is still […]

About six months to the June 17 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for all countries in the world to switch over from analogue to digital television broadcasting, it has emerged that Nigeria may not meet the deadline, Daily Trust can report.
But the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said the switch over is still realizable as a lot of work had already been done even when funds meant for the programme have not been released.
Daily Trust learnt from industry stakeholders and some government officials working on the country’s digital switch over process that the country may fail to beat the June 17 deadline because about 50 per cent of what needed to be done for the switch has not been done.
 A top government official who spoke to Daily Trust in Abuja on the matter said the government had failed to meet the January rollout plan in Lagos and Abuja had failed and this simply shows that to roll out in the rest of the country before June is impossible.
The official, who pleaded anonymity, however said the country has plan B and this is to work to ensure that those states bordering the countries around us achieve full switch over before the deadline date so that our analogue usage will not interfere in their digital broadcasting.
He said if Nigeria is able to do this, it will escape the ITU’s axe and it would thereafter concentrate on how to achieve switch over in the rest of the country.    
But speaking in Abuja on Friday while inaugurating the Digital Contact Team (DCT), the NBC Director General Mr Emeka Mba said the commission was still working hard to see that the country beat the ITU deadline.
He said NBC had already test run the digitalization in Jos, Plateau State and it is only a matter of time that the states would follow suit.   
He listed insecurity, shortage of fund, lack of enlightenment as some of the challenges facing the switch over process.
He told journalists and the member of the DCT that the commission has been using only the funds realised from the licenses auctioned so far and this has not been enough for programme.
He said NBC is working with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to use some broadcasting spectrum as collateral to source for money pending the time FG would release the money budgeted for the programme.
He said members of the DCT were chosen from Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), NBC, Pay TV stations and set top manufacturers association.