Digital Switchover: Communication minister evaluates readiness

The switchover from the analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting will soon be a reality in Cameroon. Ahead of this dramatic change, final touches are being made in the country to ensure success.

The Minister of Communication, Issa Tchroma Bakary paid a visit to the Mbankolo Broadcasting Centre in Yaounde on Wednesday June 23, 2015 to evaluate the level of preparations for the trail phase for broadcasting.

When Cameroon Tribune reporters visited the Mbankolo Broadcasting Centre in Yaounde on Friday June 25, 2015, they found that the equipment were already in place. The Chief of the Mbankolo Broadcasting Centre, Hamadou Jean said the Transmitter DVB T2, 2.2Kwrms, Yaounde CH 34 which has been installed is capable of broadcasting programmes on digital televisions. On the roof of the building the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) mast has been installed.

The mast is about 10m high and is a system of four antennas directed in different directions. Meanwhile, the analogue mast of about 100m is still in place while waiting to be renovated by the Chinese company Startimes. The company was awarded the contract for the switchover project.

The Head of Planning and Strategy Unit with the Cameroon Radio Television, Daniel Tangmo Ngamy said the Minister’s visit last Wednesday was a testing phase of the equipment only within the Mbankolo zone. During the visit a test was carried out with a bouquet of eight channels; four Cameroonian channels and four foreign channels to check the broadcasting parameters.

He said only those with digital television sets will be able to receive the signals. Those with analogue TV sets will have to use the decoder commonly called “Set Top Box”. The same testing exercise took place in Douala on Friday June 26, 2015. Daniel Ngami said, technically CRTV is ready. What is left is a formal authorisation from the authorities to start the trail phase.

The switchover, he explained, will be done in simulcast; that is during a certain period, people will watch both analogue and digital broadcasting. This will last for a few months, just enough time to communicate with the public before going digital. He said all the 40 broadcasting centres of the CRTV in the country will be transformed from analogue to digital broadcasting in the days ahead.