The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has set 2028 as the deadline for analogue to digital radio and television broadcasting in the country.
The urgency for this change was emphasised by Mrs Clementine Wamba, the Deputy Director of Public Affairs, during the engagement in Ibadan that focused on South West Digital Switch Over (DSO) and Installer training. She said after the switch-over, broadcasters with analogue transmission will no longer be able to bring their services to the viewers; hence, professional training of installers will be required to help viewers switch.
Those who are currently using analogue signals will have to purchase decoders after the switch to digital signals, Wamba added. She said the launch of Free TV is to give Nigerians several channels without necessitating any subscription fee.
In order to make a successful national rollout possible, the NBC is actively training satellite dish installers and decoder installers. The training that we are taking is geared towards having installers part of the DSO process,” Wamba added.
The NBC is working with Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited (NigComSat) to train installers to be able to effectively engage with the signal of the NigComSat, one of the most important aspects of the success of the DSO initiative. Wamba spoke on the need for installers, particularly in the backdrop of the recent introduction of Direct-to-Home (DTH) project, where households can access satellite signals with no subscription charges using the appropriate equipment.
Technical skills are required to install the equipment, and that is something that the average person does not have; this is why it’s very important for people who have the technical skills to install the equipment to be able to install the Free TV platform, she explained.
When talking to training attendees, numerous installers complimented the Federal Government and the NBC for their efforts in supporting Free-to-Air TV and valuable training opportunities. Raji Taoheed Olanrewaju, a satellite installer and one of the trainees said the training was enlightening and he felt it would bring jobs to many young people in the country. He said that Free TV would bring great relief to the poor masses as a number of channels will be available on Free TV for them without paying any subsidies.
Another trainee, Mr Gbenga Oluduro, thanked the trainee who added that the training has helped him understand the complexities of the installation process of digital decoders and dishes.
