26 Jun 2016

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele says Botswana is ready to deliver digital television to homes and to other customer premises.

Mr Makgalemele said this at the 5^th meeting of the 3^rd Ntlo ya Dikgosi session.

He said the Terrestrial Transmission infrastructure was complete, adding that the information from Statistics Botswana (2012) as well as the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA 2016), suggests that there are approximately 500  000 households with at least one television set in Botswana.

“In line with SADC Digital Migration commitments and obligations agreed by member states a penetration level of at least 65 per cent (325 000) would be considered adequate for Botswana to be considered to have achieved the digital switch over,” he said.

Mr Makgalemele explained that government through the department of broadcasting services has procured 10 000 units of which 6 000 have been delivered as of May 2016.

“A determination has been made for the distribution of the 10 000 set Top Boxes available by way of random free to segments of mainstream society. The distribution is planned to start the beginning June 20, 2016,” he stated.

He said in terms of long term supply in Botswana, government was engaging local manufacturers and/or suppliers to deliver and provide the set top boxes to the local market, as well as considering inviting foreign suppliers to service the nation. He said they were also in the process of identifying local  companies with interest of selling such set boxes. Mr Makgalemele was responding to a question at Ntlo ya Dikgosi, in which Kgosi Kgomotso Boiditswe of Serowe region had wanted the minister to update the House on the current status since the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.ENDS