DSO: Slow, steady march towards realisation

Efforts to get Nigeria off analogue television onto the digital platform continues with 12 states to be switched on by December

THOUGH Nigeria did not meet the June 17 benchmark date for complete switchover to digital television, the digital switchover (DSO) process is well underway.

In fact, not only has it commenced in Plateau State and Abuja, other things being equal, 12 additional states are expected to switch to digital television by the end of 2017.

Speaking last Friday in Lagos, Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, gave a detailed account of how far the process has gone, as well as challenges confronting it.

He disclosed that one of the first things he did when he assumed office last year was to get the second National Signal Distributor, Pinnacle Communications Limited, involved in litigation with the NBC because of the way that their contract had been handled, to withdraw the case and return to the DSO process.

After overcoming that hurdle, the next task was to get money for set-top-box (STB) manufacturers that had committed resources to the importation of 850, 000 STBs from China, but who couldn’t be paid because the EFCC had seized funds from the NBC. After President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention, the money was eventually released.

Following the successful launches in Plateau and Abuja in 2016, Kawu disclosed that so far,  “a total of 745, 480 STBs have been imported into the country; 566, 478 have been delivered, while 485, 409 have been sold and 332, 095 were activated in Jos and Abuja.

“Our call centre has been very busy! As at June 11th, 2017, The Outsource Company [call centre operators] has received 796, 026 calls from customers, while they received 21, 369 complaints about one or the other problem.”

Concerning the next phase of the process, Kawu, said six states from each geo-political zone would be turned on.  They are “Kaduna in the North-West; Gombe in the North-East; Kwara in the North Central; Osun in the Southwest; Delta in the South-South and Enugu in the South-East. At our last stakeholders’ meeting, the decision was taken to launch in Ilorin Kwara State by the end of June; Kaduna by the beginning of July, these follow the completion of the installation of the transmission facilities in these locations; and subsequently, we would launch Osogbo in Osun; Enugu in Enugu state; and then Delta as well as Gombe State.”

The DG disclosed that Nigeria’s DSO process, designed by Nigerians and being implemented by Nigerians,  had  become the most talked about in Africa such that other countries have been coming to understudy it and for technical assistance.

Kawu also seized the opportunity to clear the air on the June 17 switchover deadline. “Many have misconstrued the process, assuming that on that date, almost like a magic wand, Nigerians would wake up to find that we have switched off analogue and switched on digital television, all over our country.  June 17, 2017, is a benchmark date  for the digital switchover in our country. Our mission remains constant: to switch off analogue completely when we achieve up to 95 percent access to Free Digital Television content across our country.

“All Nigerians are entitled to access to information, irrespective of class, creed or location; and the new technology of digital broadcasting is already enhancing access in a most revolutionary manner. That would soon become a nationwide experience for all Nigerians. We remain optimistic, that by the end of the year, at least half of the country would have access to Free Digital Television content.

“Our timeline plan is to execute a phased implementation of six states, at a period. So as we conclude the six states currently in progress, we would choose another set of six states, reflecting the geo-political zones, for the next phase, until the entire country is completely covered. In respect of a specific switchover date, I believe that the countries of the ECOWAS sub-region would re-assess the issue, given that all member countries have not met the June switchover deadline. But again, it must be emphasised that the delicate nature of the DSO process, has always obliged countries to carefully manage the process to avoid problems. Most countries of the world have had to adjust their switch off dates.

“One of the fears about delayed DSO transition is the problem of trans-border signal interference from analogue transmitters. The good news is that our neighboring countries have not achieved anything close to what Nigeria has been able to do so far. As a matter of fact, none of the countries in the ECOWAS sub-region has a DSO process that matches what we have achieved in Nigeria.”

The DG, who reiterated that the DSO process was a huge financial, technical and logistical challenge, appreciated the support of the Federal Government and National Assembly. He also disclosed that the NBC is   engaging with the Nigerian Governors Forum to  accelerate the progress of work.

He promised to carry Nigerians along: “We would intensify publicity so that Nigerians can better appreciate the significance of the process and how far we have come, and what more mileage needs to be covered.”