The National Broadcast
ing Commission (NBC) said that the commission was seriously working towards achieving the June 17 deadline for digital switch-over of broadcast stations in Nigeria. NBC’s Director General, Mr Emeka Mba said this while inaugurating a technical committee known as the digital contact group in Abuja.
The committee is headed by a Coordinator and Consultant in Digital Transmission Systems Design, Mr Nikos Kalpidis.
Members of the committee were drawn from the Voice of Nigeria, Pay Television Channels, Signal Distributors and Manufacturers of Set-top Boxes.
“We are working towards that date, although there are many challenges along the line.
“At the moment, we have 18 to 20 per cent digital TV access in Nigeria from your Startimes, DSTV and ITV.
“So, to contemplate that 80 per cent of the population that currently serves by free to air analogue television without sector boxes and going to switch them off will be a nightmare.
“This is the scenario in a country like this, giving the security situation,” he said.
He also said that the challenge facing the project was the inability of government to fund the project.
He said the commission was currently using some of the revenue it generated to finance some aspects of the project.
“Another challenge is that we have not received anything billed for the project from the budget.
“What we have been doing at NBC is that the money we are getting from the license fee from our operators is used to run some of our programmes so far.
“And we have not received any dedicated budget from government at the moment and that is the major challenge,” Mba said.
The director-general said the commission required N69 billion to finance the digitisation of the project.
“The initial budget we did was N69 billion which include substantially the cost of some subsidy which about one third of the homes in Nigeria were to be provided with a set-up boxes.
“Some of the elements include buying back all the analogue transmitters from all the operators including cost of publicity, the roll out obligations including some forms of subsidy for signal distributors.
“This is to ensure that they meet with the roll out time, the cost for consultant as well as cost for content,’’ Mba said.
He, however, said that the commission had started sending signal distribution, expression of interest and licensing to the operators.
“But we cannot wait till all the money we are expecting is ready; this is why we go ahead since last year to start sending signal distribution to the operators.
“Similarly, we equally send expression of interest and licensing to the operators,’’ said the director-general.
In his address, the Coordinator of digital transmission systems design, Kalpidis said there were always challenges in roll out in every country.