Migration from analogue to digital broadcasting has commenced in the Kampala Metropolitan area, Uganda, following the handing over of signal distribution equipment to the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC)
Godfrey Mutabazi, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) said however that analogue signals will continue being distributed alongside the new digital signals.
“We have not yet decided on how long the simulcast period will run but in my own thinking, by the end of next year we should have cleared that process,” Mutabazi remarked.
New set top boxes are now available with DVB-T2 technology, a digital terrestrial transmission system developed by the DVB project.
According to Bob Lyazi, director of the Rural Communication Development Fund (RCDF) at UCC, the overall process was delayed due to Uganda adopting a new digital migration standard.
“The system was upgraded to T2 from the earlier T1. So UBC had to start the process all over again and they are working on it,” he explained.
The Digital Migration Policy initially stated that UBC would supply subsidised set top boxes to customers but this has not been implemented because those wishing to purchase decoders have to buy them from Pay TV operators such as StarTimes, Multichoice and Zuku. It is however mandatory for every Pay TV to carry free-to-air channels on their platforms.
