South Africa sets ‘final’ deadline to switch off analogue TV – 13 years later

After more delays and missed deadlines, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has set the final date for South Africa’s analogue switch-off – now expected to take place on 31 December 2024.

The department initially set the switch-off date for 31 March 2023 in December last year – but as has been the case for more than a decade, this deadline was missed.

In a new gazette published on Thursday (15 June), the department has now pegged 31 July 2023 for all analogue broadcasting services operating on frequencies above 694 MHz to switch off.

All remaining services operating below this frequency will be temporarily accommodated, it said. The full switch-off will be on 31 December 2023 – 13 years after the original deadline.

12 years and 8 ministers later

The switching off of analogue broadcasts and switching to digital is one of the measures President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed as a transformative step for the country’s economy.

In his latest letter to the public, the president said the switch-off date is vital for industries operating in the space – particularly mobile networks – to unlock better value and provide better services to citizens and businesses.

However, the road to switching off has been long and filled with potholes.

Following many court battles – and several changes to the minister in charge of the process – the deadline for the switch-off has shifted many times over the last 12 years, and is way off from the first planned termination date of November 2011.

The country aimed to have 80% digital TV signal coverage in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off on 11 June that year. Total switch-off of South Africa’s analogue TV signal would have followed on 1 November 2011.

While the government dithered with the process and juggled various vested interests from industry, South Africa missed the 17 June 2015 International Telecommunications Union deadline to switch to digital broadcasting before a ‘final’ date was set for March 2022.

This was again delayed, and the department then set a deadline of 30 June 2022 for South Africa’s analogue switch-off; however, this was declared irrational and unlawful by the Constitutional Court in a successful bid by broadcaster, E-tv.

Meanwhile, communication networks and broadcast services have deteriorated during this time, as both operators and broadcasters have been edging into each others’ spectrum to provide services.

Over the soon-to-be 13-year process, the department in charge has changed hands several times, with eight ministers overseeing the process.

The table below, compiled by MyBroadband, details the long list of target dates and delays on this journey.

The gazetted deadlines can be read here:

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