Communications minister leads delegation to digital conference

By Edmund Smith-Asante, BEIJING

Mrs Ursula Gifty Owusu-Ekuful, Communications Minister.

The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Gifty Owusu-Ekuful would lead a 5-man delegation to the 7^th International Digital Conference scheduled for Beijing on May 22 and May 23, 2017, all other things being equal.

Also expected in the delegation are the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Mr Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow and the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Kwasi Gyan Apenteng.

This was disclosed by the Overseas Public Relations Director of StarTimes Communication Network Technology Group, Mr William Masy, at a briefing of some African journalists in Beijing on the upcoming event.

Digital migration

Mr Masey said 500 delegates were expected to attend the two-day conference on the theme; “Towards achieving digital migration” from over 47 countries including 42 from Africa.

He said already 13 African countries had confirmed their participation in the conference which was very important in shaping the processes towards the attainment of digital migration of most African countries.

Mr Masey told the Daily Graphic that Ghana was a very important partner of the company and was at the advanced stage of going digital.

He therefore, hoped that the conference would give the final push to the efforts put in by the country to complete its digital migration process.

Background

The Ministry of Communications in January 2015 cancelled a contract signed in April 2012 with StarTimes Communication Network Technology for the supply of a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) system for Ghana.

According to the then Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the contract cancellation was because StarTimes failed to secure the necessary funding (US$95 million) from the China Exim Bank to execute the project before the International Telecommunications Union (ITU’s) June 2016 analogue switch-off deadline.

Ghana set another deadline of September 21, 2017 to completely migrate from analogue to digital when it missed the first deadline.

However, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful indicated before her confirmation as minister that the Government’s inability to complete the sale of the second 4G spectrum may compel it to extend the September 2017 deadline, which may also put a strain on government’s funding to support the infrastructure for the smooth take off for the digital migration.

Writer’s email: edmund.asante@graphic.com.gh

Facts

·         The global timeline for all countries to migrate unto the digital platform is 2020 and failure to meet the time period would attract a complete cut off of all defaulting countries.

·         Ghana signed on to the Geneva 2006 (GE-06) Agreement of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) establishing the Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Frequency Plan in the radio frequency bands 174–230 MHz (VHF Band III) and 470–862 MHz (UHF Bands IV&V).

·         StarTimes currently has a contract signed in November last year with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), for exclusive rights and the development of soccer in the country for a 10-year period.

This story was written on May 10, 2017