Deadline for digital TV switch ‘to stay’

The deadline for switching off analogue television transmissions in Nairobi will not be extended, Information PS Bitange Ndemo has said.

Residents in the region are expected to shift to the digital television platform by the end of this month as the government begins to comply with its resolution to effect digital migration in phases.

This is despite the fact that current statistics show that only 20 per cent of Nairobi residents have television sets with capacity to receive digital signals.

The announcement has also attracted protests, with the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) writing to the ministry questioning the decision to migrate just weeks to the General Election.

“We have been testing in Nairobi since 2009 and we are now very confident that the region is capable and very stable. When that is the case then you need to cut the cost of simulcast (broadcasting in both analogue and digital platforms) which is very expensive”, Dr Ndemo said.

He was speaking after launching the Wazi Peace campaign at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi.

He said the government and other operators had invested heavily on the infrastructure and any further delays in the migration would be very costly.

Cofek had requested for the extension of the deadline to allow TV owners more time to understand the new technology before buying the necessary equipment and also to follow the election process without interruptions, claims which the PS dismissed.

He said the country has opted to migrate ahead of the global deadline set for 2015 in order to avert the possibilities of a technical crisis in the last minute.

Only 20 per cent of Nairobi residents have purchased set-top boxes, equipment to receive the digital signals, leading groups such as Cofek to argue that digital migration was too expensive for consumers.

The boxes currently retailing at between Sh2,000 and Sh5,000. (READ: Digital TV to switch off millions)