This as the Free State Provincial Government will be switching off the analog television transmitter in the area in preparation for the much anticipated Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) migration. This process will begin today in Senekal and will spread to other towns in the province as the provincial government works towards switching off eleven analog transmitter sites from today until the end of February.

According to Setjhaba Maphalla, Director of Communications at the provincial government, the first of these analog transmitters to be switched off will be the Senekal transmitter, which caters for the Steynsrus, Ventersburg, Virginia, Senekal, Arlington, Marquard as well as the surrounding farm areas. In the weeks leading up to the full migration of the province to DTT, transmitters in some other towns in the Free State such as Bethlehem, Petrus Steyn, Theunissen, Kroonstad, amongst others, will also be switched off.

The exact dates when these other transmitters will be switched off will be communicated to the communities affected by the provincial government through various media platforms.

This comes as the 94% of qualifying households in the province have fully migrated from the analog to the digital signal, thereby exceeding the target of 85%, which was set by Cabinet for the province with regards to this process. Minister of Communications, Nomvula Mokonyane, announced last year in August that the province would be the first in the country to complete the migration process from analog to digital television signals. The migration from analog to digital means that as digital television uses less bandwidth, digital signals will be used to transmit picture and sound information, meaning that more channels can be broadcast at the same time, with better visuals and sound.

Meanwhile, the provincial government continues to urge households earning less than R3200 per month and have still not received a government-subsidised decoder to urgently visit their nearest post office with a copy of their Identity Document (ID), proof of residence and proof that they are earning below R3200 per month. Free State residents with general inquiries on the digital migration process can contact the call centre on 0860-736-832.

OFM News