Uganda will meet digital migration deadline

Without giving a specific time frame, the Uganda Communications Commission has moved to reassure broadcasters that Uganda will meet the broadcasting digital-migration deadline.

The UCC has laid the groundwork in close consultation with other countries, and there is parity in moving toward the 2015 deadline, said UCC Executive Director Patrick Masambu.

"Institutional differences might have created a slowdown, but I can tell you we are at par with Kenya," he added.

The UCC's technical committees have met to plan the switch-over, Masambu said, while the Communications Commission of Kenya is receiving feedback on its migration task force's report.

What remains for Uganda, Masambu said, is a national consultative meeting, which will take place sometime before the end of the year to discuss the proposal on how Uganda will phase out analog broadcasting platforms.

As for licensing, he said that by having technology-neutral licenses in place today, the UCC has already provided for digital convergence.

The International Telecommunications Union has set a June 2015 deadline for Africa and Europe to migrate to digital broadcasting. After the deadline, broadcasters who still transmit their signals on analog technology will no longer be protected from harmful interference that could result in picture distortion or degradation to black images.