Court ruling stalls govt's digital migration plans
Government's broadcast digital migration programme has been stalled following a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria.
On Monday, the court ordered government to move the country's analogue television switch-off date back by 3 months.
The date was initially set for the end of this month but will now move to the end of June.
South Africa has been trying to migrate from analogue to digital TV for years.
Though the country had been lagging in the analogue to digital migration for various reasons, government remained confident about the progress made so far.
A legal challenge by broadcaster e.tv is among government's hurdles.
But the court ruled against the station's bid to slow down the switch-off process.
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies welcomed the judgment.
"Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is elated that the applications of e.tv and the intervening parties have been dismissed with costs," says Ntshavheni's spokesperson Tlangelani Manganyi.
"She urges e.tv to accept the ruling of the Court and desist from further attempts to derail the process of digital migration which will release the much-anticipated high frequency spectrum.
Manganyi adds the deferment will give government sufficient time to complete installations of Set Top Boxes for households that registered ion time.
"The 30 June 2022 date coincides with the date ICASA had determined and announced as the end of transition period for the broadcasting services and signal distributors to vacate the 800MHz - 700MHz band.
"The minister deems it significant that the court has concurred with her and the other respondents that digital migration must be concluded, and the country must have a set date."
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