Free Digital TV Content for All Nigerians.
http://mexytek.blogspot.com/2017/06/free-digital-tv-content-for-all.html
The
Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Mr Is’haq Kawu, has
said that NBC’s mission is to switch off analogue completely when Nigeria has
achieved up to 95 per cent access to Free Digital Television content across the
country.
Addressing
newsmen in Lagos, he said: “All Nigerians are entitled to access to
information, irrespective of class, creed or location. The new technology of
digital broadcasting is already enhancing access in a revolutionary manner.
That will soon become a nationwide experience for all Nigerians. We remain
optimistic that by the end of the year, at least half of the country will have
access to Free Digital Television content,” the DG disclosed.
The
June 17, 2017 Digital Switchover deadline, Modibbo said, is a benchmark date
for the digital switchover in Nigeria. “Many have misconstrued the process,
assuming that on that date, almost like a magic wand, Nigerians would wake up
to find that we have switched off analogue and switched on digital television,
all over our country. Our timeline plan is to execute a phased implementation
of six states, at a period. So as we conclude the six states currently in progress,
we would choose another set of six states, reflecting the geo-political zones,
for the next phase, until the entire country is covered.”
In
respect of a specific switchover date, the DG said he believes that the
countries of the ECOWAS sub-region would re-assess the issue, given that all
member countries have not met the June switchover deadline. He said the
delicate nature of the DSO process has always obliged countries to carefully
manage the process to avoid problems, and that most countries of the world have
had to adjust their switch off dates.
To
accelerate the progress of work, we are engaging with the Nigerian Governors’
Forum, so that the states can partner with us, especially in the procurement of
Set-Top-Boxes as well as critical assistance for the installation of
transmission systems by our signal distributors.
