OFFICIALS entrusted with developing a road map for Guyana’s migration from analog Television to Digital Terrestrial Television have proposed 2016 as the year to commence digital transmissions by local broadcasters, and 2020 as the year for a complete switch-off of analog television systems.The deadlines were floated during the National Frequency Management Unit’s (NFMU’s) public consultation held on the transition at the Guyana International Conference Centre, recently. The idea behind the consultation was to solicit ideas from all stakeholders on how the “inevitable process” should be undertaken. Among presenters were Head of the NFMU, Mr. Valmiki Singh, and Consultant Dr. Andres Navarro, an Information Communications Technology expert (ICT) attached to International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The road map for the transition had been funded by the South Korean Government via the ITU.

Dr. Navarro said the dates are proposed because all of the countries in Latin America, with the exception of Paraguay, are working towards the transition before 2020. He disclosed that Brazil will switch off analog transmissions in 2018, Venezuela in 2020; and from available though not precise information, Suriname in 2020.
Paraguay had indicated it will close down analog signals in 2022.

He said Guyana may decide to make the switch after 2020, but would run the risk of not being able to access analog sets, because by then the technology would have evolved to the extent that these sets would no longer be manufactured, and therefore would not be available, or would be very expensive to purchase.

“The situation could be analogous to the high prices you have to pay for antique cars,” he said.

Dr. Navarro said that, in the last few months, the team has been working on the road map, which shows what decisions have to be made and the process that would have to be followed. He said that once the 2016 and 2020 deadlines are agreed, some critical decisions will have to be taken in the next few months in order for these deadlines to be met.

“It also means that if we define the date as 2020, then all the people who have analog television in their homes must get a new receiver in order to continue viewing TV. We want to avoid situations where, when the analog switch off occurs, people end up not getting signals because they were not aware of what was happening.”

He clarified that viewers would not need to scrap their sets, but would have to buy a converter which can change digital signals to analog signals.

Singh said the switchover is not due to some kind of dictatorial imposition on the Guyanese public, but is necessary because technology and the world are moving in a particular direction, and if Guyanese don’t adapt, they will be left in the wilderness.

He said: “We are doing this road map, and this will set up deadlines for everything that we have to do in order for the proposed 2016 and 2020 deadlines to be met.”

He said that, for example, the team intends to choose which international standards are to be used for the transmissions, and team members will shortly be consulting stakeholders on this issue. The team intends to do this by the end of this year. It also intends to look at amending regulations and/or putting in place new regulations to address the switchover.

He said that local broadcasters generally seem to think that the deadline of 2016 is okay for commencement of digital broadcasts, and that the 2020 date for the analog switch-off is acceptable.

He stressed that the pace of technology is changing faster than the world has ever seen, and people — including Guyanese — have to accept technological change.

He said that public consultations on the road map are unlikely, but stakeholders who have ideas and opinions can now send those in writing to the NFMU for consideration.
Written By Clifford Stanley