· GLOBAL DEREGULATION IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS
In 2006, the member countries of the International Telecommunications Union, including Ghana and other countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Islamic Republic of Iran, agreed to the International Telecommunication Union’s Directive to complete switchover from analogue to digital by the year 2015.
In 2006, the member countries of the International Telecommunications Union, including Ghana and other countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Islamic Republic of Iran, agreed to the International Telecommunication Union’s Directive to complete switchover from analogue to digital by the year 2015.
· GHANA’S DIGITAL TELEVISION SWITCHOVER [READY FOR 2012]
Just as Ghana, Digital Television switch overs have been happening all over the world with one of the more recent notable transition being the US, which switched all TV broadcast to digital somewhere in June 2009.
This Digital Television Switchover is for terrestrial television not satellite television and the initial step in the process to digitalize Television Broadcasting was a collaborative effort between the National Communications Authority (NCA), spearheaded by GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION (GBC), in collaboration with NEXT GENERATION BROADCASTING (NGB) and other local TV Broadcasting operators currently broadcasting over analogue like GTV, TV 3, TV Africa, Net 2 TV etc.
DIGITAL BROADCASTING BENEFITS TO GHANA Just as Ghana, Digital Television switch overs have been happening all over the world with one of the more recent notable transition being the US, which switched all TV broadcast to digital somewhere in June 2009.
This Digital Television Switchover is for terrestrial television not satellite television and the initial step in the process to digitalize Television Broadcasting was a collaborative effort between the National Communications Authority (NCA), spearheaded by GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION (GBC), in collaboration with NEXT GENERATION BROADCASTING (NGB) and other local TV Broadcasting operators currently broadcasting over analogue like GTV, TV 3, TV Africa, Net 2 TV etc.
The digital switchover will enable Ghana leapfrog existing technologies to connect the unconnected in underserved and remote communities and close the digital divide. Hence this marks the beginning of the end of analogue broadcasting in Ghana.
Phased switch-off (switchover/Conversion/Migration/Transition) from Analogue to Digital begins from 2012 in Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, and the ultimate switch-off expected to be completed by end of 2015, nationwide.
Transition from analogue to digital TV requires that every TV household acquires a Set-Top-Box (Digital Terrestrial Decoder), or a Digital Television to be able to receive TV signals for the Free-To-Air Channels.
ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL BROADCASTING
Compared with today’s conventional analogue TV broadcasting, digital broadcasting presents a lot of advantages.
Digital systems are preferred over analogue because they;
• Take up less bandwidth, therefore allowing more signals to be carried over a given infrastructure with efficiency gains.
• Provide better quality of sound and crystal clear images
• Allow for the introduction of new channels
• Provide new services; Electronic Programme Guides (EPG), super-teletext and interactive services
• Provide High Definition television broadcasts.
• Require less power to transmit
