NBC’s slow approach to digital migration raises concerns

In Nigeria, government and the regulator, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) appears optimistic that the migration is on course. But given the level of preparedness so far it is not clear whether their  slow approach would lead the country to migration on or before June 2015. The federal government has earlier approved June 17, 2012 as […]

In Nigeria, government and the regulator, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) appears optimistic that the migration is on course. But given the level of preparedness so far it is not clear whether their  slow approach would lead the country to migration on or before June 2015.
The federal government has earlier approved June 17, 2012 as the country’s transition date, three years ahead of the ITU mandate. According to the NBC, the three years (June 17, 2012 to June 17, 2015) would be used to address whatever problems that may arise from the switch-over and perfect the mechanism before the final date. However, it was surprising to many that the country still failed to switch over as expected three years after. This has created apprehension on the possibility of the country meeting the ITU June, 2015 deadline.
On June 30, 2014 the country achieved what would  be the starting point of the digital migration plan as it launched the first phase of the digital switchover in Jos, Plateau State. With the successful launch, the Director-General of NBC, Emeka Mba said the switch-over had became more optimistic as he assured Nigerians of a smooth nationwide digital switchover by January 15, 2015. Again, this date was far from been realistic as the country is yet to switch over as expected.
According to Mba the success attained in the Jos pilot digital switchover (DSO), is an indication that the planned phased switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting, would also be successful, provided that the Digiteam, which is the committee charged with the responsibility of switching Nigerians from analogue to digital, remained committed.
Now, the NBC had fixed a target of June 17 2015 but there seems to be no evidence of readiness, especially in terms of awareness and necessary logistics to meet its target. Most television viewers in the country have not been intimated with the imminent change. About 170 million television viewers in the country are said to be shut out of the preparation despite the fact that the entire digitalization process revolves around them.
Mba recently confirmed the fears being expressed by many Nigerians that the country might not meet the ITU June deadline.  While speaking at a forum in Lagos, the NBC DG declared that the Commission did not have enough fund to execute the digital switch-over.
He declared that the switching to the digital platform of broadcasting requires several billions of naira to execute. He said despite the obvious consequences of failure, the country may not meet the migration deadline.
“The heavens will not fall if Nigeria fails to meet the deadline. Yes, there are implications like signal interference, missing out on new business opportunities that may spring up due to digitalization and the country not being able to compete strongly in the global digital arena, but we will still move on as a country. Even if everything were to be in place as we hope it will be, a switch-off will not happen until we are sure there is near equal penetration of digital broadcasting to the current analogue system,” he said.
Nigeria’s digitalization process started on October 13, 2008 with the inauguration, by the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua, of the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria. The panel presented its report on Monday, June 29, 2009. However, no follow-up step was taken until April 4, 2012 when the Federal Executive Council claimed a release of White Paper on the report.
As of today the main ingredient needed for viewers to receive digital signals on their essentially analogue sets, which is known as Set-Top Box, is not readily available.  Where it is available it is not affordable for average Nigerians. Critics have argued that the Set-Top Boxes present one of the challenges facing digitalization of broadcasting in the country. They maintained that from the consumers’ point of view, they are the material evidence of transition from analogue to digital broadcasting as those that cannot afford new digital televisions would need the set-top boxes to be able to receive signal from digital terrestrial transmitters.
Despite the fears, Chairman of the DigiTeam, Edward Amana, has insisted that with the Jos Switchover, government had already commenced the process for licensing signal distributors that would drive digital transmission and the process is ongoing.
He said, “It is the intention of the government to switch off analogue TV broadcast services before the ITU deadline of 17 June 2015. The overall plan is to build the digital infrastructure so as to broadcast digital TV services in parallel with the existing analogue services and then encourage existing analogue TV stations to gradually switch off as the coverage of digital signal expands”.
Earlier, the federal government had fixed January 15, 2015 as the mark-up date for completion of digitalisation in Nigeria, months ahead of the ITU deadline. It has been argued that the country needs to develop policies on e-waste, switch-on and switch-off periods, frequency issues, as well as rates for signal carriers. There will also be need for laws setting up content licences and signal carriers, while the laws setting up companies like the NTA should be reviewed.
To justify its readiness to meet the switch-over deadline, the NBC said it had drawn a phased rollout plan, beginning with the pilot city switchover in Jos, and it is working hard to complete other phases on or before January 1, 2015. The commission is to ride on the backbone of NTA StarTimes to accomplish the Jos pilot city switchover, having designated the NTA as the National Digital Signal Carrier for the country. It promised to strengthen NTA StarTimes in other locations, where the phased rollout plans will hold.
At the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Radio Conference in Geneva, Nigeria and 192 other countries signed an agreement that all members must migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting on or before June 17 2015.
What this means is that if Nigeria fails to meet the deadline it would be prone to signal interference from other countries as protection shield on the analogue frequencies would be removed from the agreed date. However,  it is said that hope is not lost yet for Nigeria to meet the ITU deadline. The country, through its regulating agency, the NBC,  would need to  dump its slow and steady approach, and put in the necessary funds and logistics if it must make its digital switch-over a reality on or before the June 17 deadline.