GOtv - DVB-T2 Goes Africa
Multichoice Africa is rolling-out a full Pan-African DVB-T2 network with a total bouquet of more than 50 different channels in various languages over 15 countries. The GOtv Africa DVB-T2 pay-TV service is already on the air in Zambia, Kenya, and Uganda and more countries such as Nigeria are expected to follow soon.
In Kenya the service went live in Nairobi on 14 September 2011 and should reach national coverage by the end of the year.
DVB Members Pace and ENENSYS are providing the set-top box and network solutions, which also include advanced DVB-T2 features such as Multiple-PLP, SFN and local content integration.
Source: DVB
Item added: 3rd October 2011
Pay-TV launched on DVB-T2 platform
MultiChoice Zambia has partnered with the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to launch pay TV in the country using DVB-T2.
The new service called GOtv was launched on the 1st July with 19 channels offering access to news, children’s programming, documentary series and movies.
Source: UKZambians
Item added: 11th July 2011
DTT start to cost ZMK 27 billion
Zambia's digital migration national task force requires ZMK 27 billion (€4.2 million) this year to facilitate initial efforts in the country's transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Task force chairperson Luwani Soko said the 2011 budget did not provide for the operations of the task force. Soko explained that the task force had not received a budgetary allocation because it was established late last year after the national budget had already been drafted, but said the government needed to make an alternative funding strategy to enable it to commence work.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region has resolved to migrate to digital broadcasting by 2013, ahead of the global deadline of 2015. Soko said Zambia would meet the 2013 target if national development strategies such as the newly launched sixth national development plan take into account the requirements of the migration.
Source: Telecompaper
Item added: 13th February 2011
Southern Africa Selects DVB-T2
After many meetings, presentations and months of uncertainty, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) digital task force has selected DVB-T2 with MPEG-4 compression as the terrestrial transmission standard for the region. By selecting the most future-proof solution SADC has underlined its slogan "Towards a Common Future".
SADC member countries include Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. All of the 15 countries had already selected DVB-T through the 2006 ITU Geneva agreements and can continue with this implementation if they have already started and migrate to DVB-T2 at a later date. It is expected that all SADC countries will each complete the formal adoption of DVB-T2 in the near future, paving the way for a very ambitious digital switchover date of December 2013.
One of its smallest members, Mauritius, has already completed the switch to DVB-T. South Africa, arguably its most influential member, has already performed many DVB-T trials and more recently DVB-T2 trials in Johannesburg as well. The South African broadcasting industry is strongly supporting the decision for DVB-T2 and is ready to help launch digital TV in South Africa and the region.
The official SADC decision and digital switchover planning can be found on the SADC website.
This important decision has also been widely covered in the press:
Broadband TV News
Tech Central
My Broadband
Screen Africa
The information on these pages comes from many sources and whilst DVB believe it to be correct we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
If you have any additional information or corrections please send an e-mail to dvb@dvb.org
Last page update: 3rd October 2011, Barry Tew
