Advanced set top boxes on the way
What you need to know:
- Speaking during a media workshop at Nairobi Serena Hotel, Mr Wilfred Kiboro, the NMG chairman, said the gadgets will be sold at a one-off price that will not exceed Sh2,500 so that a majority of Kenyans can buy them.
- Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), through its affiliate Signet Kenya Ltd, has been allocated 56 frequencies, while a Chinese firm, Pan African Network Group Kenya Ltd has been allocated 120 frequencies nationally.
- In their application through lawyer Paul Muite, the media houses argued that they have not been allocated enough frequencies to deploy their own digital signals.
The country’s three leading media houses are set to launch 150,000 advanced set top boxes in the next three weeks.
The enhanced set top boxes will be provided by Nation Media Group (NMG), Standard Group (SG) and Royal Media Services (RMS) in the first phase of a plan that will see them import a million more devices by the end of March, 2015.
Speaking during a media workshop at Nairobi Serena Hotel, Mr Wilfred Kiboro, the NMG chairman, said the gadgets will be sold at a one-off price that will not exceed Sh2,500 so that a majority of Kenyans can buy them.
SHORT PERIOD
The move by the three media houses is set to be a major boost in the digital migration effort, which they have repeatedly indicated they fully support.
However, they are faced with the challenge of the short period given to them by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) to migrate from the analogue to the digital platform as well as failure by the authority to allocate them enough frequencies to effectively provide digital broadcasts.
They were allocated 21 frequencies but need at least 54 to fully cover the entire country
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), through its affiliate Signet Kenya Ltd, has been allocated 56 frequencies, while a Chinese firm, Pan African Network Group Kenya Ltd has been allocated 120 frequencies nationally.
Early this month, Supreme Court judges Willy Mutunga (Chief Justice) and Mohammed Ibrahim, granted orders stopping CA from switching off the analogue frequencies of the three media houses until further notice.
OWN DIGITAL SIGNALS
In their application through lawyer Paul Muite, the media houses argued that they have not been allocated enough frequencies to deploy their own digital signals.
In Nairobi for instance, the three media houses have been jointly allocated one frequency when they need four.
“The digital signal travels a much shorter distance than analogue.
“That is why in Nairobi, we will need four frequencies in total: One frequency for each of the four digital sites in Nairobi and its environs, namely Limuru-Nairobi, Naivasha, Rahimtulla building and Machakos,” said Mr Muite.
They are also requesting that, upon receipt of the frequencies, they should be given two months to order, import and install transmitters, antennas and other transmission equipment necessary to roll out their digital transmission infrastructure.
