Installation of set-top boxes for TV viewers affected by floods in KZN and Eastern Cape: Ntshavheni

The department of communications and digital technologies says floods have affected the installation rate of set-top boxes (STBs) in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the homes of beneficiaries and road infrastructure had been damaged, making some communities inaccessible.

“As of June 21, 109,270 beneficiary households remain unconnected in the two provinces. We continue to co-ordinate with the department of human settlements and other infrastructure departments to ensure installations are resumed as and when the infrastructure is restored.”

Ntshavheni was providing an update on Friday on the progress of SA's broadcasting digital migration and analogue switch-off (ASO).

“We have also commenced with installations for the end of September ... to date we have installed STBs in 44,424 households due for installations by September 30.”

A decision by the Constitutional Court on the analogue switch-off date was awaited so the digital migration process could be completed.

This would allow the release of spectrum in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

“Until the ASO, the economic hubs of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal will remain with poor network connectivity, with negative impact on the economy,” she said.

To supplement the efforts of the minister of trade, industry and competition driving penetration of digital televisions and protect consumers from buying outdated analogue television sets, guidelines had been published for integrated digital televisions (IDTV) and STBs for the GO-Digital logo.

The department had already concluded the analogue switch-off and migration for the SABC in the Free State, Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

“The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) was thus able to release high-demand spectrum in those provinces. The release of spectrum will enable telecommunication operators to decongest networks through the deployment of 4G and 5G across the country.

“South Africans, irrespective of where they live, in recent days have experienced poor connectivity including on voice calls due to increased loads on the networks.”

Ntshavheni said they had completed STB installations in the Free State, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

“We are completing the mop-up for the Western Cape and North West to verify completion status, because the SA Post Office does not have additional addresses due for installations.”

Ntshavheni reminded households earning below R3,500 per month that applications for registration were still open.

“We are continuing to increase our capacity to install more STBs per day to ensure the quickest rate of installations for post-ASO registrations in the event of a possible surge of applications after ASO. However, since the beginning of April 2022 the project continued to experience a decline in the number of new registrations.”

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