Digital conspiracy?

The Department of Communications (DOC) bewildered broadcasters and decoder manufacturers earlier this year when it announced that it had decided to review the country`s decision to implement the European digital TV standard, DVB. It decided to look at the possibility of implementing a newer Japanese standard, implemented by several South American countries, called ISDB.

Tensions have since surrounded the issue, and the disappointment and frustration on the part of the broadcasters is palatable. It has now emerged that the department is actively discouraging other African countries from using the European standard, saying it is riddled with technical issues.

Word is that Brazil, the pioneer in the implementation of the ISDB standard, is pressuring SA into choosing the Japanese standard, in exchange for a lucrative trade agreement, including a possible new power station for the country.

MEETING OF STATES

The information stems from a meeting held between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders on digital migration, earlier this year. The meeting was convened to discuss the possibility of changing the standard for all the countries in the region, defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as region one.

The SADC countries have agreed to roll out on a unified standard for digital migration to allow the free flow of skills and technologies between the countries in the region. They have also agreed to free up the analogue spectrum by 2013.

Experts representing both standards were called to give a detailed description of each and prove the benefits for the SADC countries. The meeting also saw a closed session, with several leaders shut behind closed doors to discuss the issue - reportedly, the Brazilian representative of ISDB allowed access to this closed session.

The meeting was also attended by a representative of the ITU.

BEING NEGATIVE

Sources have explained to iWeek that, following the closed session meeting, severe discrepancies began to emerge.

One of the leading engineers governing Mauritius` digital TV migration, Amoordalingum Pather, confirmed that he had been a part of the closed session at the conference.

He says a representative from the DOC had explained that DVB standard pilots in SA had been a failure. According to Pather, the representative from SA told those present in the closed meeting that the department has a report, which shows that the trials on DVB in SA have been riddled with technical failures.

Pather says he was surprised by the details given to those present in the meeting, since both MNet and etv had shown how successful their implementation of DVB has been. He also says Mauritius` own implementation of DVB has been exceptionally successful.

MNet and etv recently held a press conference to showcase their digital TV trials, using the DVB standard, which shows that it has been successful. This is the second trial run for both companies and both explained that the first trials had also been successful.

ALREADY DONE

Mauritius has almost completed its digital migration process, with almost 100% coverage, and 80% of the country already watching digital TV, Pather explains. He says the country will have completed its migration process by next year. "There is no way we can change the standard now, we will have to redo the entire migration again," he says.

Other countries in the SADC region, which have already started migration on the DVB standard, include Namibia and Tanzania. In other parts of Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana and Nigeria have all started rolling out migration on the European standard.

Changing now could have serious cost implications for the region, and the various countries` economies. However, SA is still free to go ahead with the Japanese standard, as long as it reinstructs neighbouring countries of its band plan, to make sure there is no interference between the frequencies.

This process has already been completed by the countries for the DVB standard.

Gerhard Petrick, member of the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association, was also present at the meetings; however, he says he was not called into the private session with the leadership representatives.

Judging by the comments of the people in the closed meeting, he says there was definitely a discrepancy between what was said in the open forum and what was said behind closed doors.

DOC DISAGREES

Meanwhile, the DOC hit back at the allegations, saying it can`t comment on what was supposedly said by iWeek`s sources.

The department`s spokesman, Tiyani Rikhotso, says the department does not understand why the decision to review the standards has generated this much attention. He has reiterated the statement communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda made to Cabinet a few weeks ago, saying that no decision has been made on the matter.

"We have not taken a decision to change to any standard. Period!"

The department has not confirmed whether it indeed has a report detailing the technical failures of the local trials on DVB, and has lambasted industry for the noise generated by broadcasters that have planned for digital TV roll out using the DVB standard.

"It is important to note that government has not taken any decision to change the DVB-T standard, as approved by Cabinet. We, therefore, do not understand what warrants all these noises we are hearing from some so-called industry players," Rikhotso adds. However, he says government has to look at what would be best for South Africa. "The minister stated unequivocally when he presented to the Portfolio Committee on Communications last month that we are simply conducting a review of what`s the best possible deal for SA now, given that technology has evolved since the adoption by Cabinet of the DVB-T standard."

ELECTRICITY FOR STANDARDS

And what may be best for SA is speculated to be more electricity. Rumours are circulating that there may be a power station on the cards for SA, if it agrees to move with Brazil on the Japanese standard.

The idea can be backed by an agreement signed in March by the SADC countries and Brazil, which will see the transfer of skills and technology. One of the specific focus areas of this agreement is to be on energy.

Another possibility lies in the Japanese link. The Asian country is well known to offer infrastructure and other enticing offerings in exchange for lucrative bilateral agreements. The country has a lot riding on getting the ISDB standard into the mix, since it is the sole producer of decoders that use the standard.

With only South America on board so far, the market for its decoders remains relatively small. However, if SA gets on board, it opens the doors for the rest of Africa as a market. The ruling party`s ties to Hitachi Power Africa has also sparked speculation that the Japanese business may be playing a part in pressuring the DOC into the ISDB standard.

Internationally, there are reports that Hitachi`s parent company in Japan is looking at developing a TV with a built-in decoder, based on the ISDB standard. However, the department is adamant that the review is simply a suggestion, and that all avenues must be explored before SA commits to a standard.

MORE MONEY

The department`s explanation of why it has decided to review the standard at this late stage in the digital migration process has left many in industry cold. A change now is expected to cost government well into the billions, specifically since Sentech and the SABC will both need additional funding to replace what they have already started rolling out in the original specified DVB standard.

The national signal distributor has already installed transmitters for the DVB-T system, covering about 40% of SA`s population.

Broadcasters have also ploughed almost R250 million into the migration process. They are also frustrated because not only money was put into the process, and they feel the department`s review completely undermines eight years of work.

Local broadcasters will want a resolution on which digital standard should be implemented as soon as possible, since many are ready and willing to go ahead and start the digital migration process.

Both MNet and etv indicated earlier this week that, if the department decides tomorrow to continue using the existing standard, the broadcasters will be ready to release a commercial digital TV product in nine months.

However, they agree that the expected deadline for SA`s analogue switch-off in November next year is now completely impossible, since decoder manufacturing and roll-out will not happen in a year.

There is also a real possibility that SA will not make the international deadline of 2015 if any more delays are pushed into the mix.

COMPLAINTS

Meanwhile, Brazil is unhappy with the outcome of the meeting held in April this year, and has laid a complaint against the representative from the ITU who was present. The complaint has labelled the representative biased and questioned his motives.

The complaint to the ITU states that the representative from the union implied that if Africa decided to change to the Japanese standard, the ITU would not support the decision. A response to the complaint, circulated to member states, has defended the ITU member`s comments, saying the accusations are unfounded.

SA now waits on a decision by the department on whether it will want to change the standard and start the migration process again, or whether it will let broadcasters stick with what they have.