Khumbudzo Ntshavheni - Afrikan Heroes

Sentech to Launch Streaming Platform to Rival SABC+

February 18, 2023

There are reports that SABC’s biggest client by far, Sentech, is launching a streaming platform to rival SABC+. The state-owned broadcast signal distributor has already set plans to rival the public broadcaster in streaming services.

While the SABC has been without a board for several months, Sentech has been making plans to launch what appears will be a competitor to SABC+, the streaming service launched by the public broadcaster late last year when it took over management and operation of Telkom One, a joint venture it had with Telkom.

communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni

News of Sentech’s plans to offer a so-called OTT service (over the top — industry jargon for streaming) emerged in parliament on Wednesday when communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the company will “soon launch a homegrown OTT platform that will be anchored by Nemisa but which will be available to other content producers”. Nemisa is a state-owned non-profit in Ntshavheni’s portfolio that focuses on technology education, including in multimedia production.

The launch plans come amid growing tension between the SABC and Sentech over signal carriage fees

“Our goal is to eventually make this platform the home for quality films, documentaries and children’s stories, in addition to SABC+,” the minister told MPs.

Sentech plans to launch the OTT platform in the first quarter of the 2024 financial year – that’s sometime between March and May this calendar year. A Sentech spokeswoman was on leave and not immediately available to comment further on the platform and its planned content offerings.

The launch plans come amid growing tension between the SABC and Sentech over the signal carriage fees the latter charges the former to distribute its terrestrial channels to South African audiences.

The SABC and its commercial free-to-air rival e.tv last year accused the broadcasting signal distributor of excessive pricing and anticompetitive behaviour.

Their broadsides against the state-owned enterprise were included in formal submissions to communications regulator Icasa, in which they called for urgent regulatory interventions in the signal distribution market to deal with alleged monopolistic abuses by Sentech.

The submissions form part of a market inquiry by Icasa into the signal distribution services market. Sentech has asked that the regulator’s discussion document be withdrawn because, among other reasons, updated legislation to govern audiovisual services is in development and Icasa’s investigations shouldn’t pre-empt these potential policy changes.

E.tv parent eMedia Investments said in its submission to Icasa that it is “deeply concerned at the fact that the issues relating to significant market power in relation to signal distribution services have been ignored for decades”.

“This is despite pleas by the broadcasters that the market needed urgent regulation. Indeed, Icasa recognised as far back as 2010 that there was an urgent need to regulate the market due to Sentech’s undisputed dominance,” eMedia said. “Yet Icasa has taken no steps in this regard… All this has been to the detriment of broadcasters and caused them financial harm.”

The SABC also strongly criticised Sentech’s tariffs and behaviour, describing them as “not appropriate or correct”. It said its concerns led to the creation of a “chart of accounts project” at the public broadcaster to determine the fairness or otherwise of Sentech’s fees.

“The details of the various costs per service and per transmission site have been requested from Sentech with the objective of understanding how the structure of the cost for each service was derived. Sentech has not been cooperative in this regard for the past two years,” the public broadcaster alleged in its submission.

The SABC also filed a complaint against Sentech at the Competition Commission in 2021, in which it accused the signal distributor of “unfair and anticompetitive pricing”.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Telkom withdraws its lawsuit against Icasa

April 12, 2022

Just one working day before it was due to take on communications regulator Icasa in a high-stakes, week-long battle in the high court, Telkom has withdrawn its legal action over the recent spectrum auction. The decision is a significant victory for both Icasa and communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and means there is now no risk that the recent spectrum auction will have to be rerun.

Icasa and Telkom agreed in an out-of-court settlement that the regulator will commence with the licensing of spectrum in the 800MHz band that was left unassigned in last month’s spectrum auction and will do so by no later than June. The licensing of the band must also be concluded within Icasa’s current financial year – namely, by 31 March 2023.

Telkom has, in good faith, entered into a forward-looking settlement…“Icasa has undertaken that it will have regard for the outcomes of the recently completed auction in its licensing of the unassigned 800MHz,” Telkom said in a statement.

In a separate statement, Icasa said that it will also license mobile-suitable spectrum that is currently available for licensing (excluding spectrum still set aside for a Woan, or wholesale open-access network, which the government looks likely to scrap soon.

Telkom CEO Serame Taukobong said the settlement addresses Telkom’s principal complaints: the restrictions in the spectrum bidding rules and the competitive effect of spectrum arrangements on the auction process.

“The settlement agreement gives challenger operators like Telkom further opportunity to acquire sub-1GHz spectrum to compete with established players,” he said.

“Telkom has, in good faith, entered into a forward-looking settlement, providing Icasa the opportunity to resolve current market challenges identified by competition authorities while allowing operators to focus on the business of providing superior service to their customers.”

Icasa, Telkom said, has agreed to conduct a study on the impact of a possible secondary market of spectrum on competition and, if necessary, provide an adequate and enabling regulatory framework.

Icasa chairman said he appreciated the “cordial manner in which Telkom conducted the engagements in pursuance of the settlement and is pleased that the matter can now be concluded”.

All parties to the litigation will bear their own legal costs.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

South African Govt. Doles Out Free 50GBs of Data to Citizens

March 16, 2022

The South African Minister of Communications, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni

The South African government is giving out 50GBs of free data to the citizens. This is contained in the National Infrastructure Plan 2050, published by South Africa’s Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia De Lille noting that every South African household will receive 50GB of data by the 2025/6 financial year.

The document says that the government aims to provide high-speed, affordable, and accessible broadband to underserved and low-income areas.

“Investment in last-mile connectivity, mainly through a complementary mix of wireless broadband technologies, targeting rural and underserved populations, will take place,” the document reads.

The Minister of Communications, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, had revealed in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) speech that 10GB of free data would be available to every household, regardless of the financial background, according to TimesLive.

“At some point, SA households — despite whether you are rich or poor, whether you are employed or unemployed — will have access to 10GB per month without failure because that’s what this government will deliver,” Ntshavheni said in her speech in February.

The National Infrastructure Plan specified that 10GB of data should be available to households by March 2023.

The document says the private sector participation in achieving universal broadband access is prevalent and that it is imagined R30 billion ($2 million) to R80 billion ($5.3 million) will be raised to finance the rollout of government broadband in the medium term.

The government will also be working with businesses and other stakeholders to keep up with digital trends and contribute to strengthening private-public cooperation.

According to Tech Central, the document also shows that Internet access is dependent on things such as data pricing and lack of fibre in most areas.

Tech Central says most mobile subscribers use prepaid services, too, at a cost significantly higher than post-paid. For example, in 2020 the cost of 1GB of prepaid data was about R100 to R120 – more than double that of postpaid data, at R40 to R79.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

South Africa’s North West to Switch Off Analogue TV

December 21, 2021

The North West region of South Africa will on Wednesday become the third province in South Africa to have its analogue television signals switched off. This comes as communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni pushes ahead with a plan to complete the national switch-off by early next year, despite objections from broadcasters.

The minister will travel to Zeerust in North West to oversee the switching off of the last analogue transmitter in the province. She will be joined by Keabetswe Modimoeng, the chairman of communications regulator Icasa.

Analogue TV broadcasts have already been terminated in the Free State and the Northern Cape – and there has been little apparent consumer backlash – with Mpumalanga and Limpopo set to follow by early January.

A real challenge may come when signals are switched off in provinces with major urban centres

A real challenge may come when signals are switched off in provinces with major urban centres, including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.

Ntshavheni has said government plans to decommission all analogue transmission sites by the end of January. This has led to anger in the broadcasting sector, particularly from eMedia Holdings, the parent of e.tv, which has threatened legal action if the minister presses ahead with her aggressive switch-off plan. eMedia argues that a 15-month switchover is more realistic as it would greatly reduce the risk of cutting off millions of mainly indigent viewers. Viewers without a set-top box or a compatible digital television could be left without a broadcasting signal at the end of January.

But Ntshavheni appears determined to press ahead with the long-delayed project at speed – it has been more than a decade since the government missed its original deadline to complete the migration.

The main purpose of the project is to release the “digital dividend” – the 700MHz and 800MHz frequency bands used by broadcasters – so it can be sold to telecommunications operators at a planned spectrum auction now set down for March 2022.

A “digital restacking” project – to migrate digital broadcasters out of the digital dividend bands – also still needs to take place before the operators can take full advantage of the spectrum.

In this regard, Icasa on Tuesday said that the final radio frequency spectrum assignment plan (RFSAP) dealing with frequencies between 470MHz and 694MHz, which it published recently, provides a plan for a phased approach in implementing digital terrestrial broadcasts through a single frequency network.

“The RFSAP in this frequency band expedites and fast-tracks the implementation of digital terrestrial television, and the concurrent release of the first and second digital dividend spectrum for the deployment of … mobile broadband communications,” the regulator said.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

South Africa to Provide Internet Access for All Homes by 2024

November 25, 2021

The South African Minister of Communications, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has announced that the country plans to ensure that all South Africans have access to connectivity at their home by 2024.This was made known during the annual Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), Minister Ntshavheni said the European Union had committed itself to 1 terabyte to the home by 2025, and challenged the ICT sector to commit to similar targets for the country.

“The challenge will be what South Africa should commit to given the development disparities that are not only a result of class differences but the geolocation of the person – the urban/rural divide” she said.

“It’s not just about getting the services out there” she said. “Access to connectivity has become a basic need. It is as much a basic need as access to water and access to electricity – because it determines access to education, access to health, access to work which are fundamental for our survival”.
Telkom Group CEO, Sipho Maseko echoed the minister’s sentiments.

“Big data, analytics, machine learning and AI can all assist business and world leaders to avoid making errors of calculation and prediction or understanding key trends. All of these things are good, and they are helpful only if they can have an impact in society” he told conference delegates.

Maseko said this will require long term strategies in which all stakeholders are aligned on the outcomes.

“Alignment does not mean endorsement, but alignment actually means that all of us realise what needs to be achieved. We may have fundamental problems here and there, but actually we accept the outcome that we want to achieve needs to be realised” he said.

Minister Ntshavheni called for research and development projects to be expedited and taken to market without delay. She told conference delegates that the digital divide did not only exist in society but in government itself.

“The bulk of government administration and services yet to be digitised, we are confronted by the challenge of how do we leapfrog public service into the future into new ways of working”

She said this will require reskilling public servants, and working closely with local and global stakeholders in the sector. Ntshavheni said creating the capacity to deliver increased connectivity will require the acceleration of spectrum to accommodate increased 5G capabilities.

She said the government is “doggedly pursuing digital migration and we have already switched off all analogue SABC sits in the Free State”. The Northern Cape will have its last site switched off within the next week.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry