Icasa seeks new time frame for digital migration

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will ask Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda to review the time frame for the migration from analogue to digital television, officials said on Friday.

Icasa councillor Robert Nkuna said the digital terrestrial television regulations would for now retain the current time frame, which is from November 2008 to November 2011.

“However, the authority will consider advising the minister to review the current dual illumination period, since commercial switch-on did not take place on November 1 2008, as initially planned,” said Nkuna.

He said ministers in the Southern African Development Community agreed last week the region should switch over to digital television by 2013.

“We will talk to the minister regarding a possible review of the time frame.”

But Nkuna said he believed South Africa might be able to migrate “much sooner” than that.—Sapa