NBC raises N34bn to drive digital migration ahead 2017 deadline
licenses MTN to provide digital pay-TV services
Emeka Mba
As Nigeria strives to meet the new deadline of transiting to digital terrestrial broadcasting by June 20, 2017, having suffered some setbacks as a result of funding, the country has raised N34 billion from sales of assets and licensing, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said in Lagos, Wednesday.
Consequently, the Commission has successfully licensed MTN Nigeria to use a part of the 700MHz to provide digital pay-TV broadcasting services, even as the pilot launch is slated for the first week in November 2015, in Jos, Plateau State.
Emeka Mba, director-general, NCB, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Lagos to announce the new roadmap of the of Nigeria’s digitalisation, which he said was expected to create 13 million jobs in the next three years.
When it became obvious that the June 17, 2015 initial deadline given by the International Telecommunications Union was not attainable as a result of inability of government to provide N70 billion earlier requested for the project, the Commission had to re-strategise.
“Our broadcast frequency, which is to eventually form part of the digital dividend after the DSO, had portions of it lying fallow while our broadcasters were still using parts of it. We therefore proposed and got proper permission from government to license part of our spectrum lying fallow and to use the proceeds to finance the DSO.
“I’m pleased to inform you that we have successfully licensed MTN Nigeria Limited to use a part of the 700MHz to provide digital pay-TV broadcasting services. We have thus raised N34 billion, slightly less than 50 percent of our budget,” Mba observed.
He said: “I am pleased to inform you, also, that through this singular move, Nigeria has once again pointed the way for other African countries struggling with the effort of finding financing for their own digital switchover programmes.”
The Commission has continued to collaborate on coordinated agreement with other West African neighbours and have agreed on a new deadline of June 20, 2017 to complete the digital switchover and achieve analogue switch off, he said.
On preparation for the pilot launch next month, he said 14 firms had been authorised to produce set to boxes here in Nigeria. Meanwhile, offshore mass production and delivery of initial sub vented boxes for Jos pilot project is envisaged to be completed by end of October, while the local manufacture of the set top boxes is expected to begin in April 2016.
For digital transmission, Mba said the critical activities for this segment include publishing the RFP, concluding the National Signal Mapping, awarding the transmission MDAs, designating the ITS for Jos and beginning live digital transmission; and we plan to be done with these by the end of December, 2015.
Emeka Mba
As Nigeria strives to meet the new deadline of transiting to digital terrestrial broadcasting by June 20, 2017, having suffered some setbacks as a result of funding, the country has raised N34 billion from sales of assets and licensing, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said in Lagos, Wednesday.
Consequently, the Commission has successfully licensed MTN Nigeria to use a part of the 700MHz to provide digital pay-TV broadcasting services, even as the pilot launch is slated for the first week in November 2015, in Jos, Plateau State.
Emeka Mba, director-general, NCB, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Lagos to announce the new roadmap of the of Nigeria’s digitalisation, which he said was expected to create 13 million jobs in the next three years.
When it became obvious that the June 17, 2015 initial deadline given by the International Telecommunications Union was not attainable as a result of inability of government to provide N70 billion earlier requested for the project, the Commission had to re-strategise.
“Our broadcast frequency, which is to eventually form part of the digital dividend after the DSO, had portions of it lying fallow while our broadcasters were still using parts of it. We therefore proposed and got proper permission from government to license part of our spectrum lying fallow and to use the proceeds to finance the DSO.
“I’m pleased to inform you that we have successfully licensed MTN Nigeria Limited to use a part of the 700MHz to provide digital pay-TV broadcasting services. We have thus raised N34 billion, slightly less than 50 percent of our budget,” Mba observed.
He said: “I am pleased to inform you, also, that through this singular move, Nigeria has once again pointed the way for other African countries struggling with the effort of finding financing for their own digital switchover programmes.”
The Commission has continued to collaborate on coordinated agreement with other West African neighbours and have agreed on a new deadline of June 20, 2017 to complete the digital switchover and achieve analogue switch off, he said.
On preparation for the pilot launch next month, he said 14 firms had been authorised to produce set to boxes here in Nigeria. Meanwhile, offshore mass production and delivery of initial sub vented boxes for Jos pilot project is envisaged to be completed by end of October, while the local manufacture of the set top boxes is expected to begin in April 2016.
For digital transmission, Mba said the critical activities for this segment include publishing the RFP, concluding the National Signal Mapping, awarding the transmission MDAs, designating the ITS for Jos and beginning live digital transmission; and we plan to be done with these by the end of December, 2015.
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