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Ntshavheni Sets Deadline For Analogue TV Switch-Off

Communications Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has committed to the complete switch-off of analogue television by the end of March next year.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deadline in his State of the Nation Address in February.

The long-delayed process of migrating from analogue to digital television led to South Africa missing an internationally imposed deadline of June 2015.

Ntshavhnei said that Cabinet had approved a revised plan to complete the task, which would free up much-needed spectrum.

In the seven years since the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) June 2015 deadline, just over half a million households have been supplied with set-top boxes.

That’s out of an estimated 3.8 million households who qualify (with an income of up to R3,500 a month). Of these, only 1.8 million households have registered to be migrated.

Communications Minister Ntshavheni said that the switch-off “is non-negotiable”.