This means that television and radio gadgets in the market would be obsolete with time.
Therefore the Government has warned the local media industry of attempts by foreign companies to dump analogue broadcasting equipment.
Information minister, Mr Mutahi Kagwe, said the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) had stopped issuing frequencies for analogue television broadcasting to prepare the country for digital technology.
He said the broadcasting industry will be digitised by 2015, a cutover date set by regional radio communication conference at Geneva.
He expressed fears that foreign manufacturers and local businesspeople might turn the country into a dumping site for analogue equipment.
"Potential investors should not be cheated with cheap offers of analogue equipment that is being decommissioned in other parts of the world. We should not allow our country to be the dumping yard of obsolete technology," Kagwe said.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Kagwe said migration to a digital platform would require policy and regulatory change.
He launched an 11-member taskforce to facilitate the switchover and setting up of a migration implementation strategy.
The taskforce is expected to come up with policy and regulatory framework for migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Kagwe said digitisation would enhance electronic transfer of sound and video and improve broadcast transmission quality.
"Since digital technology makes it possible for one frequency channel to accommodate more than one programme, a multiplex operator is necessary in the market structure to provide capability for multi-programmes within frequency channel, so that many broadcasters can share the frequency channel," he said.
Kenyans will, however, not need to dispose of their current television sets, as they could buy a set top box to convert digital transmission into analogue form that can be discerned by the equipment.
Taskforce chairman, Mr Daniel Obam, said analogue sets would be obsolete in the long run.
Once the changes are implemented, individual broadcasters would be relieved of the task of manning their channels as this role would initially be undertaken by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) as the multiplex operator.
"The multiplex operators will be required to provide services to licensees in a non-discriminatory basis. It is evident that by virtue of its disposition, KBC qualifies as a multiplex operator. However, the two other entities would be licensed to offer the infrastructure," Kagwe said.
This means the broadcasters would concentrate on developing broadcast content and not manning their transmission infrastructure.
Kagwe said the ongoing installation of a fibre broadband would converge with the broadcast digitisation to reduce the cost of Internet services. "It will become a platform for delivery of services such as e-government, e-health and e-education," said Kagwe. Relevant Links
"It will also enhance the development and growth of broadband access as well as serve as a converged broadcasting and broadband solution enabling a great leap in Internet access to the homes of our people," he said.
The digital environment would encourage broadcasting services innovation. "The earlier we as a country migrate, the better as it will give us the opportunity to be early adopters of services that will lead to export opportunities in services and expertise," Kagwe said.
Members of the taskforce are from the ministry, Media Owners Association, National Communications Council and KBC.
Autor(en)/Author(s): James Ratemo
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 14.03.2007
