South Africa’s Communications Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Sunday said it is in the process of switching off the country’s last analogue transmitter in Limpopo.
According to Ntshavheni, the department has been switching from analogue to digital terrestrial TV as part of its digital migration programme which started nearly 15 years ago.
Ntshavheni said the decision to switch off all analogue transmitters is to drive down the cost of communication and to ensure that majority of South Africans enjoy the benefits of affordable internet.
With Limpopo, Ntshavheni’s ministry has successfully switched-off analogue transmission in a total of five provinces, to date. Other provinces to go digital include Free State, Northern Cape, North West and Mpumalanga, according to the department.
Government had set March this year to complete the nationwide migration. By migrating, South Africa will also have fulfilled its international obligation as the International Telecommunications Union expects all countries to efficiently use spectrum as a scarce national resource.