Digital migration: The world leaves Nigeria behind

Nigeria last Wednesday failed to join the rest of the world to transit from analogue to digital broadcasting, a regrettable development which comes with heavy cost implications on the nation for missing the international deadline.

Nigeria had in 2006 in Geneva signed to join other International Telecommunication Union (ITU) member countries for a global switch-over in June 17, 2015, instead it is now targeting December 2017.

Assessing the enormity of the process involved in the migration, Emeka Mba, the  Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC),   said in a report recently that the earliest possible date for Nigeria to switch over from analogue to digital broadcasting is December 2017.

With the failure to migrate, analysts believe that television viewers will likely struggle with communication signals as digital signals from other countries will interfere with analogue televisions in Nigeria, making viewing unclear. It will also make security and other broadcasting messages difficult as there will be noise in the channel.

Also, as expected,  Nigeria stands to miss the immediate huge financial gains calculated at about   $49bn that will accrue to the economy from the possible sale of available spectrums.

Further regretting the inability of Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa to meet the global deadline as agreed in Geneva, Mba explained that it took the United Kingdom a few attempts of about 14 years and nearly £6.4 billion to digitize broadcasting, but said that Nigeria needs not take such length of time if resources are made available.

When Nigeria switches on digital broadcasting, it is expected to create more frequency spectrums which mean more TV and radio channels for broadcasting and communication activities which government can auction.

Kenenna Ajumobi, social analyst who regretted government inability to meet the ITU deadline believed that Nigeria should have set the pace in Africa for the transition to digital broadcasting.

Jenkins Alumona, a communication expert who had organized discussions on the migration believes that the transition is a populace oriented policy as it will affect them regretted that Nigerians have not been sufficiently informed on the transition to digital broadcasting. He said recently that if the education does not happen, most Nigerians will be at lost whenever Nigeria transits.

Daniel Obi