Digital migration needs local content – Namibian minister

Namibia’s information and communication technology minister Tjekero Tweya on Saturday said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should address the lack of local content brought by migration from analogue television to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).
He made the remarks at the closing of the meeting attended by SADC information ministers at the coastal town of Walvis Bay on digital migration.
Tweya said the availability of local television content is one of the immediate challenges as a result of the digital migration which deadline was on 17 June, 2015.
“Due to the migration a lot of channels were created and this should be filled with our own from the region.
We need local content. Our people must tell their own stories in their own way. It does not help us in any way to create more channels but continues to watch other peoples’ content,” said the minister.
“We need to tell our own stories and take ownership of our content. I am therefore happy to announce that the region is now looking at filling this gap through the SADC TV Bouquet and Namibia remains committed and ready to host the bouquet,” further elaborated Tweya.
Digital TV broadcasting offers many advantages over analogue systems for end-users, operators and regulators.
Apart from increasing the number of programmes, digital systems can provide new innovative services, such as interactive TV, electronic programme guides and mobile TV as well as transmit image and sound in high-definition (HDTV) and ultra-high definition (UHDTV).
Digital TV requires less energy to ensure the same coverage as for analogue while decreasing overall costs of transmission. The more efficient use of radio spectrum brought on by digital TV also allows for the so-called digital dividend resulting from the freeing up of much-needed spectrum for use by other services, such as mobile broadband.
Tweya then encouraged other SADC members and those responsible for the implementation to follow suit to successfully complete the migration process.
“We have spoken enough and it is time that we take action. Many have said that they tried and it did not work. However you are all our technocrats and when you fail us you are not worth being in that team. We don’t hate you but we will bring people that can do the work. We are not interested in talk shows but in actions as we also want to leave our own legacy,” he said.
Tweya also referred to the meeting at Walvis Bay as very historic in terms of the ICT sector in SADC.
Also sharing the minister’s sentiments, the Zimbabwean, directorate of Infrastructure and Service Directorate, ICT, Remingious Makumba said that digital television is a defying moment for SADC. Enditem