"With effect from today, we shall not issue any licence for analogue broadcasting. Even existing licensed operators should upgrade their equipment to enable digital broadcasting by December 2012," Godfrey Mutabaazi, the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) told the media in Kampala yesterday, 12 January 2011.
Mutabaazi also notified Ugandans to stop buying analogue television sets, because they will be obsolete under the digital broadcasting regime.
Digital broadcasting refers to the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by discrete digital signals, while analogue broadcasting is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound in a continuous wave form (analogue).
UCC's announcements follow an agreement that was reached by member countries of the International Telecommunications in 2006, to switch to digital broadcasting by June 2015. This followed the development of a Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting plan by the ITU during the same year. Uganda and other countries in East Africa set their switch-off date from analogue broadcasting as 31 December 2012.
Compared to analogues broadcasting, digital is relatively cheaper, enables convergence of technology and offers high quality video, audio and numerous other value-added services according to the UCC. It supports simultaneous transmission of a larger number of programmes (increases programme diversity); and ensures efficiency utilisation of spectrum (a single channel can carry a number of programmes).
Today, most of the broadcasting equipment used by domestic television service providers is still analogue technology. However new broadcasters like NTV Uganda, Star Times, MoTv and Channel 44 started operations with digital technology. Old players like; Wavah Broadcasting Television (WBS TV) and Uganda Broadcasting Corporation TV are upgrading their studios and equipment.
On the other hand, domestic television buyers currently have no option but to buy the analogue television sets on the market.
There are fears that many will be duped by retailers to continue buying analogue TV sets as digital, because they are not aware of the difference between the two. Yet, the government has not come out to sensitise the consumers about the difference.
According to Patrick Mwesigwa, the director for technology and licensing at the UCC, users of analogue TV sets will not be deprived of services in the transition period. "We forecast 2011-2012 to be the simulcast or transition period. During this period analogue and digital broadcasting will run concurrently. Owners and users of analogue TV sets need to buy set-top boxes (STBs) to be able to access digital broadcasting."
The set-top boxes cost between US$50 - US$100 each.
