FG To Commence Phase Two Digital Switch Over Rollout April ― Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has announced that the government would commence nationwide Digital Switch Over roll out starting from April 29, 2021.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, on Thursday, the Minister recalled that he inaugurated the 14-member Ministerial Task Force on the Digital Switch Over (DSO) on February 23, 2021, in Abuja.

“I am happy to inform you that the Task Force has held its inaugural meeting, during which it took far-reaching decisions to fast-track the DSO rollout and also begin the analogue switch-off process,” he said.

He explained that the analogue switch-off in any state commences, the government will ensure that the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signal has covered at least 70 per cent of the population in that state, while the remaining 30 per cent will be covered by Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite signal.

“Please note that once the analogue signal is switched off, no one on the system will receive television signals anymore.

Also, because of the topography of some areas like the Federal Capital Territory, the DTT signal could not effectively cover such areas.

“In such cases, we will deploy DTH satellite signals to areas that are not covered by DTT signals. By complementing out DTT deployment with DTH satellite signals, we are ensuring that no one will be left out of the DSO,” he noted.

Furthermore, the Minister said: “Another issue that I will like to comment on, and which is of great interest to the public, is the price of the Set-Top Boxes, or decoders if you like, without which no one can access the DTT and DTH signals.

“To ensure the affordability of the boxes, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture will reach out to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to ensure a reduction in the tariff on the raw materials for the manufacture of the Set-Top Boxes in Nigeria.

“We will aim at zero % tariff for the Completely Knocked Down components and not more than 5 per cent tariff for the Semi-Knocked Down component, against the current tariff of 5 per cent for the Completely Knocked Down components and 10% for the Semi-Knocked Down components. By doing so, we will ensure that the Set-Top boxes are within the reach of average Nigerians.

“The Federal Government will also support the Channel Owners and Content Providers through the implementation of the Audience Measurement system to guarantee a sustained stream of revenue from advertising for them to invest in the development of compelling content.

“In this regard, the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has been directed to implement key policies to guarantee the advertising income of media houses by creating a healthy environment for the media outfits to operate. Very soon, APCON and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) will sign an MoU on zero advertising debts to ensure that revenue from advertisers goes to the media owners.”

On the rollout timetable, Mohammed said: “Within a period of four months starting from April 29, we intend to roll out the DSO in four states, three of them heavily-populated states.

On his part, the Acting Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Armstrong Idachaba, said the DSO in this period has translated to an increasing digital television penetration and better quality television service in Nigeria.

“In preparation for the commencement of phase 2 of the DSO rollout therefore, the Commission has held consultative meetings with stakeholders, discussed the state of preparedness, deployment challenges and the proposed timeline.

“Phase 2 of the Nigeria DSO will commence with roll out in the most populous and commercially viable locations of Lagos, Kano and Rivers states as well as Yobe and Gombe states.

“This departure from the initial rollout plan of six locations from each geopolitical zone was necessitated by the need to evolve a self-sustaining strategy for the DSO,” Professor Idachaba said.

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