Malam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), on Tuesday said that the commission had completed work on digital mapping of the entire country.
Kawu made the disclosure at the 12th Afro-centric Biennial Conference and Exhibition of African Broadcasters organised by NBC, in Abuja.
The theme of the three-day conference is “the Dynamics of Broadcasting in the Digital Era.”
He also said that NBC would map out the population centres that could facilitate access to most television homes.
He said that it would be easier to work out a very realistic rate card pricing, to be charged broadcasters by the signal distributors.
He said that the commission had brought the digital television experience to 25.4 million people in about 3.7 million television homes in Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, Enugu, Osun states and FCT.
According to him, NBC now know better how to bring all the components of the digital switch-over together to achieve the remarkable broadcasting experience for total experience of all Nigerians.
“I will like to inform this august gathering, that our work with the Nigerian process of migration from analogue to digital broadcasting is about to get major shot in the arm.
“We have finally completed work on a complete digital mapping of the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This is a major part of any transition process because with that, the signal distributors can more confidently roll our transmission facilities, with a sure knowledge of the topography and points of location of transmission systems,” he said.
Similarly, the director-general said that NBC had concluded an elaborate roll out timetable and a consequent timeline for Analogue Switch Off (ASO) for the entire country.
According to him, the corollary to that is that authorized Set Top Boxes manufacturers can then work to produce enough boxes for our 32.5 television homes.
Kawu, therefore, assured that NBC and its DSO partners would soon present national timetable to the Nigerian people.
“ Related to what we are doing with the timetable is a pilot project we are working on to launch very soon with pilot PUSH VOD (Video-on-Demand) platforms in Abuja and Kaduna.
“This is part of effort to enhance and enrich the viewing experiences associated with digital broadcasting.
“ It would be a platform for Nollywood and Kannywood to pull the rug from the feet of pirates,” he said.
