Crossing the digital divide in East Africa... as seen on TV

Patrick Masambu, the outgoing executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), which regulates ICTs in Uganda, says the country has set a national deadline of December 2012 to phase out analogue television transmissions.

A Swedish company, Next Generation, has been contracted to offer expert advice on the migration.

Reports indicate that about seven broadcasting stations are piloting the digital format on TV sets of 200 viewers in Kampala.

Five television stations — including Nation Television (NTV), Wavah Broadcasting (WBS TV), East Africa Television (EATV) and Nile Broadcasting Service (NBS) — are testing the broadcast of digital transmission by Next Generation Broadcasting.

The chief operations officer of Next Generation Broadcasting, Martin Abuya, is quoted as saying that broadcasters who are currently operating free-to-air television stations will be able to invest in niche channels with specialised content for specific groups.

The UCC says there are not more than one million households with television in Uganda.

While Uganda and Kenya have begun the migration, Burundi is yet to do so.

The biggest challenge the country faces on this front is funding.

Tanzania was set to launch the migration process early this year.

Kenya’s national broadcaster, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has already unveiled KBC Gold, a pay-TV station that specialises in broadcasting historical events and vintage programmes.

Rwandan officials of the national broadcasting corporation (known by its French acronym, ORINFOR), said they will switch to digital by the end of this year.

Globally, the analogue system has been in place for the past 45 years.