Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

assumption that <strong>the</strong> bulk of
viewers have bought <strong>the</strong> set top
boxes so as to keep watching
<strong>the</strong>ir screens.
Here’s why it’s happening. African
countries have fallen in line with
a decision by <strong>the</strong> International
Telecommunications Union (ITU)
although this was taken mainly in
<strong>the</strong> interests of developed countries.
The advantages in <strong>the</strong> developed
world are that DTT frees-up airwaves
that can be re-allocated to new
broadcasters or o<strong>the</strong>rs, and that
<strong>the</strong>re’s a big market for <strong>the</strong> makers
of new digital-ready TV sets. But,
and in contrast, African countries
have too few TV channels to fill even
<strong>the</strong> available analogue broadcast
space; nor are cellphone companies
short of frequencies to offer 3G
internet. And low incomes in Africa
mean <strong>the</strong>re’s only a tiny market for
new digital-ready TV sets.
“Broadcasters
could expand from
programme delivery
to ‘data’ delivery, for
example sending out
copies of Wikipedia on
<strong>the</strong>ir digital signals.”
Never<strong>the</strong>less, African governments
have agreed to end analogue TV
signals by <strong>the</strong> ITU’s deadlines which
are 2015 for half of African nations,
and 2019 for <strong>the</strong> remainder. The
migration is going ahead, albeit
slowly.
The question is whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re are
particular opportunities that might
in some way compensate for <strong>the</strong>
huge costs of <strong>the</strong> disruption. Don’t
expect a flood of new channels just
because this becomes more technically
possible.
But one benefit is, ironically, that
170 | Media in Africa - 2011
more Africans will be able to get
hold of TV sets – analogue ones – to
watch whatever content is put on
<strong>the</strong> digital-stream, even if <strong>the</strong>re’s
no extra offerings to what’s been
transmitted by analogue signal use.
In this regard, I’ve heard a Ghanaian
government official complain that
<strong>the</strong> transition in Europe is resulting
in cheap obsolete analogue TV sets
flooding his country.
He sounded very offended by this
development, but set top boxes are
Africa’s answer to his misperceived
problem with <strong>the</strong> imports. The point
is that <strong>the</strong> boxes will increasingly
become widespread on <strong>the</strong> continent,
converting digital signals
back to analogue for viewing on
<strong>the</strong> millions of existing analogue TV
sets. So Africans currently without a
set can make good use of hand-medowns
sets from elsewhere.
A second benefit that could emerge
is that <strong>the</strong> set top boxes can in fact
be more than dumb decoders – <strong>the</strong>y
could be turned into “smart” devices,
with an operating system that runs
software programmes, and with
USB ports so that users can plug in
a keyboard, hard-drive storage and
even a 3G modem.
In this way, many African households
could, in effect, get home computers
for <strong>the</strong> first time – with <strong>the</strong> TV set
serving as <strong>the</strong> monitor and a remote
control working akin to a cellphone
keyboard.
Broadcasters could expand from
programme delivery to “data” delivery,
for example sending out copies
of Wikipedia on <strong>the</strong>ir digital signals.
This could <strong>the</strong>n be saved on <strong>the</strong> set
top box to be called upon later as
a readily-available knowledge resource
for children to use when
tackling <strong>the</strong>ir homework.
Policy and regulation requirements
are key to making <strong>the</strong> most out of
digital TV in terms of extending
information availability and internet
access. For this to happen:
• Governments have to set
<strong>the</strong> standards and dates for
transition, and use <strong>the</strong>ir powers
to cover maximum possibilities
around set top boxes. These
concern box specifications
(open or closed systems); waiving
import levies or promoting
domestic assembly of <strong>the</strong> boxes;
and deciding whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re will
be a consumer subsidy to speed
up adoption.
• Regulators need to figure out
how to use <strong>the</strong> digital airwaves
– who will get <strong>the</strong> new digital TV
licenses; how many outlets can
be sustainable and viable (and
through what business model
and what kinds of content);
and what to do with freed-up
frequencies (eg. auctioning
<strong>the</strong>m off to cellphone operators
and internet service providers).
By inter-connecting broadcast
policy with broadband policy,
<strong>the</strong> authorities in general could
encourage a hybrid system to
leapfrog Africa into <strong>the</strong> Information
Society. A 3G modem in <strong>the</strong> set
top box could provide uplinks to
<strong>the</strong> Internet, with <strong>the</strong> download
of bandwidth-hungry content (like
video) delivered via spare capacity
in <strong>the</strong> digital broadcast stream. So
broadcasters and internet service
providers could be legally required
to work toge<strong>the</strong>r more closely as
DTT gets closer.
This is a pretty complex transition,
and a lot of decisions are still fluid.
Mauritius has made <strong>the</strong> most
progress out of all African countries,
but with lots of mistaken choices.
What this means that media
coverage and media activism around
<strong>the</strong> migration can make a huge
difference to <strong>the</strong> kind of services
that unfold over <strong>the</strong> next five <strong>years</strong>,
and what information opportunities
are availed to Africans within <strong>the</strong>
DTT loop.