Kuelekea dijitali, umakini wetu vs kenya.,...

[ngoshwe]

Region’s digital TV switch at crossroads as Kenya loses bid


IN SUMMARY

• Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) sought an order that the December 31 deadline for Nairobi was unreasonable and that it should be postponed to the global deadline of 2015 for the digital migration.
• The December deadline was fixed by all EAC countries but Kenya and Uganda opted for a phased out roll citing the prohibitive costs of set top boxes used to transfer the TV signal from analogue to digital.

Kenya’s hopes of meeting the region’s December 31 deadline to switch from analogue to digital television viewing were dashed last week after a High Court temporarily stopped the government from making the transition.

Kenya’s Justice Isaac Lenaola on December 20 ordered the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) and the Information and Communication ministry to delay migration, which was going to be effected in Nairobi, until January 11 when the Court would deliver a ruling on a case opposing it.

The application by consumer rights group — Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) sought an order that the December 31 deadline for Nairobi was unreasonable and that it should be postponed to the global deadline of 2015 for the digital migration.

Now uncertainty surrounds the planned switch in the East African Community though Tanzania and Uganda insisted they would stick to the deadline.

READ: Big digital switch: Why region won’t beat 2015 target

The December deadline was fixed by all EAC countries but Kenya and Uganda opted for a phased out roll citing the prohibitive costs of set top boxes used to transfer the TV signal from analogue to digital.

READ: Kenya to switch off analog TV sets by end of year

The Uganda Communications Commission said the exercise would start in Kampala and its suburbs. However, it said, the two systems would run concurrently while a total switchover is expected in 2015.

In Rwanda, the minister of Youth and ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana, announced in September that the country’s final switch to digital transmission was yet to be decided.

In Tanzania, the regulator noted that the relatively low TV coverage in the country, only about 15 per cent of the population and mainly in urban areas, has made it easier for Tanzania to adhere to the EAC plan.

READ: Tanzania to stick with December digital switchover deadline

Viewers not ready

In Kenya, Justice Lenaola said it would be impossible to deliver the ruling before the December 31 deadline which would affect about 250,000 viewers in the city.

In its petition, Cofek argued that migrating Nairobi in December will affect millions of Kenyans during the coming festive season, the reopening of schools in January, next year’s General Election and the constitutional implementation amid prevailing economic hardships.

Cofek Secretary General Stephen Mutoro termed the move as unreasonable and was convinced the government could do more to ensure the price of the set-top boxes was reduced.


MYTAKE

Hivi watanzania tumelogwa nini?

Hatuna utaratibu unaoeleweka wa kuwawezesha wananchi kupata ving'amuzi au TV.

Tunakurupuka kuingia kwenye mfumo ambao faida zake japo ni mzuri lakini zinaendana na athari kubwa kwa wananchi hasa wale wenye kipato cha Chini.

Kwa hali ilivyo sasa hivyo ving'amuzi hasa vya STAR TIME ni uozo mtupu..huwezi kutumia siku ikaisha pasipo kukuletyea matatzio ikiwemo kupoteza sauti, picha kunasa, nk..lakini leo pasipo hata kufanya utafiti wa Ubora wa huduma hiyo ya Digitali kupitia ving'amuzi, tunawataka wananchi waingie katika mfumo huo na kuwaelekeza wanunue ving'amuzi kwa wauzaji ambao uwezo wao hatujapima.

Wakati Idadi ya watanzania inazidi milioni 45 na huenda watumiaji wa TV wakazidi milioni 5 nchi nzima, takwimu zinaonyesha kuwa mpaka kufikia tarehe 30.12.12 kampuni ya STAR TIME imeuza ving'amuzi laki tatu tu. Inawezekana kweli kusema tunapozima mitambo ya analojia watanzania wote wataweza kuingia kwenye mfumo wa digitali??

 

[Lupweko]

... Tunakurupuka kuingia kwenye mfumo ambao faida zake japo ni mzuri lakini zinaendana na athari kubwa kwa wananchi hasa wale wenye kipato cha Chini. ..

'Mwananchi mwenye kipato cha chini' umekuwa wimbo sasa. Ukweli ni kwamba mwenye kipato kidogo (sio necessarily kiwe cha chini) hana uwezo wa kununua TV receiver. Kwa kuwa hana TV, the same haitaji kuwa na king'amuzi!
Tuache ulalamishi, hili ni zoezi la kufanyika haraka haraka tu tuendelee na mambo mengine, kuimprove signal strength tutawabana tu. hata hivyo tatizo la bad signal sio kubwa kivile kwani kuna watu tunatumia kile kiantenna kidogo cha ndani na picha haigandi! Tukubali mabadiliko, si lazima kila kitu tuangalie Wakenya wamesemaje!