NBC Points at Roadblocks to Digitization

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has pointed to a litany of problems hampering Nigeria's transition from analogue to digital broadcasting and urged government to provide incentives that will accelerate the country’s match to the new order touted as the next big thing.

With three years to the June 2015 deadline, the Commission said that the absence of policy to support local manufacture of digital receivers’ is a major limiting factor to digitization.

Yomi Bolarinwa, director-general of NBC, waxed worriedly at a news conference in Abuja to mark the 20th anniversary of the commission.

"As of today the main ingredient needed for viewers to receive digital signals on their essentially analogue sets is not readily available and where it is available it’s not at a cost easily affordable for the average Nigerian," said Bolarinwa.

"All these are policy driven, and once you don't have the policy on ground, it will not work," he said.

He suggested strict laws to protect would-be makers and prevent import of substandard products.

For the transition to be considered a success, at least 95 per cent of Nigerians with access to television must also have access to the digital receivers.

Nigeria has already a June 2012 deadline it earlier set for herself.

The new date is now January 2015 few months short of the June 17 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for its members to move over the digital broadcasting.

Digital broadcasting will make better viewing pleasure; boost the telecommunication industry, as it would free much needed spectrum for broadband penetration.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek had earlier reported that despite the best efforts of the National Broadcasting Commission, it is doubtful if Nigeria would meet the new target.

This is in the face of body languages of various ministers overseeing different government ICT agencies and parastatals which seem to be on different pages as regards regulation convergence.