South Africa begins analogue switch-off

Ministry of Communications: Government inaugurates Analogue Switch-Off in the Northern Cape

South Africa’s Minister of Communications, Ms Faith Muthambi, will lead the event to mark the first phase of the Analogue Switch-Off (ASO) on Friday, 28 October 2016 in the Northern Cape. This major national milestone forms part of the country’s Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) process.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) areas in the Northern Cape will be the first to switch off the analogue signal. Analogue transmitters will be switched off in the following towns: Van Wyksvlei; Brandvlei; Williston; Vosburg and Carnarvon.

Senior government officials – including BDM stakeholders from the Southern African Development Community region, and international information and communications technology bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union are expected to attend the main event.

The ASO will be undertaken in phases across the nine provinces, starting with the Northern Cape and followed by the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng.