According to the minister, this was done to free up spectrum for use by other telecommunications systems.
IS ANALOGUE officially dead with digital technology having won the decades long rivalry? It would appear so.
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele formally shut down the final analogue transmitter above 694 MHz on Monday in Stellenbosch.
Gungubele stated in June that this will be carried out to free up spectrum for use by other telecommunications systems.
In a video streamed by broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, the minister can be seen counting down from 10 before switching off the transmitter.
“Broadcasting digital migration simply defined means the migration of the broadcasting services from analogue broadcasting technology to digital technologies” said the department.
The Communications department is not done, however, as there will still be step two, which will aim to temporarily make room for some of the high populace areas below 694 MHz, with the switch-off date for this deadline being December 31 of 2024.
“The world is migrating from analogue TV to digital TV to release spectrum that is needed for a variety of telecommunications services,” the department said.
“Radio spectrum is a scarce and valuable resource which means all countries need to use it more efficiently. The move from analogue to digital TV is one vital part of the global strategy to properly manage spectrum.”
In order to prevent interference with other countries’ broadcasting signals, it was also added that South Africa co-ordinates its frequency plans with other nations.
This deadline was missed and postponed. The former minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, had announced that the switch-off date would be March 31, 2023.
