WINDHOEK – The national broadcaster, Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), has finalised the digitalisation of its networks, and is now asking households to purchase the required decoders that would enable them to watch digital free-to-air television.
The decoders are available at the Mobi-pay outlet at Wernhil Park Shopping Mall and are priced at N$159.20, which is 20 percent lower than the actual retail price of N$199. “This special offer is only applicable to the first 20 000 decoders sold,” said NBC’s Chief Commercial Officer, Alex Shimuafeni. Customers are required to present an identity document and a receipt of the 2013/2014 TV licence payment in order to purchase the new decoder that would allow them to access the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) technology. Television set owners who live far from NBC transmitters might need antennae, preferably out-door VHF ones, while for those living closer to the transmitters, an in-door antenna might be sufficient. “The public should also take note that those with a good quality television reception might not need an additional antenna. The NBC will announce the names of other outlets where the public can purchase the DTT decoders in due course,” Shimuafeni explained.
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) refers to the broadcasting of terrestrial television in digital format. Currently, terrestrial broadcasting in Namibia is in analogue format and the country is preparing itself to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states approved the adoption of the Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DBV-T2) standard as the blueprint for digital migration in the next five years. This comes in the wake of recommendations by a SADC task team, which was tasked to compare available standards, including the Japanese ISDB-T standard. In 2006 SADC member states committed themselves to complete full digital migration by 2015, the global deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Joel Kaapanda had earlier said SADC member states had set December 31, 2013 as the deadline for the switch-over in order to “ensure that all related challenges are overcome before the 2015 global deadline.” The nine SADC member states include Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The main reason for the migration is to release valuable spectrum space, which can be used for other services. “Spectrum is scarce, and it is therefore necessary to make efficient use of the spectrum available for more telecommunications and broadcasting services,” Kaapanda said at the time. There is no need for households to purchase new television sets as long as their sets have audio and video inputs or alternatively an RF input. If there is more than one television set in a home and individuals want to view different channels then each set would require its own decoder. By the 2015 global deadline, every household is required to have a decoder as the analogue signal is switched off, otherwise they would not be able to view free-to-air channels, such as the NBC and TBN and One Africa TV.
By Magreth Nunuhe