Altech CEO Craig Venter says a change in tack on the standard will set back the process of putting decoders into South African households by three to five years. Altech is a major industry player as a manufacturer of set-top boxes (STBs) by its subsidiary, Altech UEC.

 

“Following a cabinet decision, government announced in 2006 that it had decided to adopt the DVB-T standard and the industry has been working towards that end since then, investing more than R700 million. The industry was shocked when the department said in May that it was considering a switch to the ISDB-T standard,” says Venter. ISDB-T is deployed only in Japan, Brazil and a few other South American countries, while DVB-T is used in 120 countries.

 

Venter says a change will set back moves to free up the broadcasting frequency spectrum because digital technology uses less frequency spectrum. “This in turn will impact South Africa’s telecommunication strategy – that of increased competition, affordable bandwidth, greater internet uptake and hence ICT sector growth which is all linked to increased growth of the economy,” says Venter.

 

Most broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers of television equipment support DVB-T because it will stimulate the local market. On the other hand, adoption of the ISDB-T platform will reduce competition, increase telecoms costs and thereby reduce benefits to consumers. “In fact, if a different standard is adopted, we will have to import skills and technology and turn our backs on what exists locally. This will stifle growth of the ICT sector,” says Venter.

 

A move to ISDB-T will also have implications for all Southern African Development Community countries because they will have to follow suit to ensure harmonisation in radio frequency spectrum in order to prevent cross-border spectrum interference. 

 

“It is imperative that the DTT standard adopted for South Africa be aligned with the broader African market. The South African television market is not large enough to warrant more than one entrant should the technology not be exportable to other markets.”

 

“The Department of Communication’s stated objective is to create policies that encourage innovation and the development of local IP. It is ironic that the department has not engaged with local companies to understand the IP they have and could make available to the country. Altech UEC has written to the department on numerous occasions to facilitate such discussions, but have been unable to secure meetings.”

 

Venter says it is time business stands up to slow and ineffective government decisions, in its own interest and that of the broad public.