fair, reasonable, and non-
discriminatory access to the EPG. In
addition, PSBs should be entitled to
particular prominence on the EPG
to ensure viewers can access these
services easily. (e) Mobile TV
(DVBH)/datacasting: The NBC
recognises there is a demand for
mobile TV services in Nigeria and
intends to make available spectrum
within the last quarter of 2014 for
mobile TV services – geographically
limited based on geographic
interleaved spectrum availability.
(f) Audience measurement &
advertising: The long-term success
of FTA DTTV depends largely on
the robustness of the advertising
market, and each service’s ability to
source their own advertising
revenue. The NBC shall establish a
Joint Industry Committee (JIC)
which shall work with all relevant
stakeholders to set up an Broadcast
Audience Research Board, which
shall provide reliable data on
estimates of the number of people
watching TV, including which
channels and programmes are
being watched, when they are
watched and the type of people
who are viewing at any one time.
MILESTONES
The NBC in conjunction with
Digiteam Nigeria, headed by
Edward Amana, has recorded
significant progress as regards
DSO, despite the fact that the
transition started rather late. Let me
at this point share some of the work
done so far, based on the already
approved Digital TV Broadcasting
Policy Decisions as contained in the
Government white paper.
There will be a separation of
functions in the broadcast industry.
The broadcaster will be responsible
for the content of the broadcast
while a signal distributor or carrier
will be responsible for the
transmission of the signals to the
viewers at home. Three signal
distributors or carriers are to be
licensed, one of which is to evolve
from the Nigerian Television
Authority – NTA. The transmission
standard shall be the DVB-T2
format with MPEG-4 AVC
compression format.
The NTA’s pilot DTT project in
the DVB–T2 format, in conjunction
with StarTimes of China, has rolled
out in more than 20 cities in the
country. A uniform STB standard
has been accepted for the whole of
the ECOWAS countries. Switch-off
from analogue broadcasting is
envisaged to be in three phases,
beginning with a pilot DSO/ASO in
a selected city. On June 30, 2014, the
NBC achieved a significant
milestone with the official launch of
the Nigeria digital switchover
process, in Jos, capital of Plateau
state. The Commission realised that
in order to give substance to the
larger DSO/ASO plans, there was
an urgent need to have a pilot city
which can provide a suitable
testing ground. The pilot will
continue as we work towards full
analogue switchoff of Jos, latest by
October 30th, 2014.
CHALLENGES
One of the opportunities that
digital brings is the more efficient
use of scarce spectrum for national
broadband coverage which has the
potential to grow Nigeria’s GDP by
over 10%. Yet given the serious
economic and social issues faced by
many African countries including
Nigeria the major obstacle to
successful DSO is funding – funding
for the infrastructure rollout, STB
distribution to consumers, as well
as new content. The catch is that
governments cannot realise the
revenue from the auction until
broadcasting completes the
analogue switchoff. However, the
NBC has taken a creative and
perhaps radical course of action,
which involves seeking the
approval for the advance payment
of the expected revenue from the
Digital Dividend auction to the
telecommunications industry,
based on agreed cross sectorial
agreement on the estimated value
of the spectrum by both the NBC
and the telecommunications
industry regulator Nigerian
Communications Commission
(NCC) and with the support of both
ministers, as well as the approval of
the President. Whilst this proposal
is yet to be approved, we would
like to note that it provides a
window of opportunity to
overcome the funding challenge. In
the case of the Nigeria, the value of
the DD spectrum is estimated to
fetch close to $2bn to Government.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We must not fall into the
misleading mindset that digital is
about technology. The digital
mindset required must recognise
that technology is not a function
but a dimension, that is disruptive
no doubt, yet evolutionary.
For Nigerian consumers to be
able to enjoy the positive effects of
digitisation, it is of crucial importance
that all groups in society have access
to broadcasting when the means of
broadcasting signal reception
changes. The analogue switchoff
may result in social exclusion in so
far as digital TV is unavailable to
some parts of the population. Given
the current income levels of most
Nigerians especially those in rural
areas, only a fraction of Nigerian
households would be willing and
able to buy a digital STB at market
price. This means that millions of
households in Nigeria will be left
without TV, further widening the
digital divide, and leaving poor
communities even poorer.
In Africa, information is not just
about entertainment, it’s about
access to health or education and
often makes the difference between
life and death; which is why as a
regulator, the DSO offers us the
opportunity to rethink, reimagine
and remake broadcasting to serve
our social and economic needs
more efficiently in order to secure a
more developed and socially
cohesive country.
In Africa,
information
often
makes the
difference
between
life and
death
“
”
THE CHANNEL
|
DIGITAL MIGRATION
