Press Release GABINETE DE COMUNICAÇÃO E IMAGEM

Transcription

1 GABINETE DE COMUNICAÇÃO E IMAGEM Maputo, 30 de Agosto de 2012 Press Release 4.º Fórum da SADC sobre a Migração Digital Maputo, de Agosto de 2012 Local: Girassol Indy Congress Hotel & Spar, sito no Sommerschield, Rua Macombe Nongué-Nongué R Terminou na tarde de hoje o 4.º Fórum da SADC sobre a Migração Digital que decorria em Maputo desde o dia 28 do corrente. O Fórum foi precedido pela inauguração do Comité de Direcção para a Implementação da Migração Radiodifusão O Fórum debruçou-se, entre outros assuntos, sobre: a) Progressos registados na implementação do Roteiro da SADC para a Migração Digital e discutir desafios que possam impedir o progresso da migração; b) Desenvolvimento harmonizado do plano de banda de frequências para os serviços de radiodifusão digital c) Desenvolvimento dum modelo de licenciamento harmonizado; d) Determinação duma data coordenada para o switch off; e) Garantia da participação de todos os stakeholders, incluindo os consumidores, no processo de migração digital; f) Garantia do desenvolvimento da capacidade humana para a radiodifusão digital; e g) Garantia de que todos os cidadãos da SADC que têm acesso à radiodifusão analógica tenham acesso à tecnologia digital.

2 No final dos trabalhos foi apresentada à Imprensa a Declaração sobre o 4.º Fórum da SADC sobre a Migração Digital. (Vide Anexo) Sobre o INCM O Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (INCM) Autoridade Reguladora dos Sectores Postal e de Telecomunicações (criado pelo Decreto n.º 22/92, de 10 de Setembro) tem por finalidade regular e fiscalizar o sector das comunicações e a gestão do espectro de frequências radioeléctricas. A instituição conta hoje com mais de 100 trabalhadores, distribuídos pela sede (Maputo) e Delegações Regionais Centro (Beira) e Norte (Nampula). Contacto: Edmundo Manhiça

3 MEDIA STATEMENT 4 TH SADC DIGITAL BROADCASTING MIGRATION FORUM The 4 th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Digital Broadcasting Migration Forum was held from 28 th to 30 th August 2012 at the Indy Village Congress Hotel and Spa, in Maputo, Mozambique. The forum was preceded by the inauguration of the SADC Digital Broadcasting Migration Implementation Steering Committee on 27 August The fourth Forum was attended by delegates from 13 SADC Member States including Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Forum was also attended by representatives of SADC regional implementation agencies, namely CRASA, SABA and SATA. In attendance were representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). The Forum was facilitated by two ITU EU HIPPSA Project appointed experts. The 4th Digital Broadcasting forum follwed on from the 3rd SADC Digital Broadcasting Migration Forum, held in Luanda, Angola from the 11 th to 13 th October The 3rd forum was convened to amoung others review the SADC Roadmap for Digital Broadcasting Migration, to formulate an Action Plan with timelines as directed by the SADC Ministers of Communications and ICT at their meeting held on the 11 th June 2012, Gaborone, Botswana. The 3 rd forum affirmed the SADC Analogue Switch Off (ASO) date of 31 st December 2013 and in order to ensure timely implementation of DTT migration, and recommended the following institutional arrangements to ensure timely migration to Digital Broadcasting: National Inter-Ministerial Committee; Establish National (DTT migration) Project Management Offices (capacitated with dedicated resources); National and regional multi-stakeholder forums; Regional Implementation Steering Committee; and

4 Establish a Regional DTT Broadcasting Migration Special Desk. On the 27 th August 2012, preceding the forum, the SADC Secretariat inaugurated the SADC DTT Broadcasting Migration Implementation Steering Committee, which is an instrumental component of SADC s Institutional arrangement in overseeing the implementing of the SADC Roadmap for Digital Broadcasting Migration until Members and Alternate Members as nominated by the SADC MS were introduced. The DTT Implementation Steering Committee is made up of all SADC Member States, CRASA, SABA, SATA and regional consumer organisations, under the guidance of the SADC Secretariat. The 4 th Digital Broadcasting Migration forum was officially opened by the Honourable, Minister of Transport and Communications of Mozambique Engineer Paulo Zucula. In his keynote address the Honourable Minister emphasised the need to speed up the process of migration eventhough SADC as a sub-region is ahead in the DTT broadcasting migration, as time is not on our side. He also urged the region to start the dioscussion on the Standard for Digital Radio Broadcasting. He wished the Delegates to have fruitful deliberations during this SADC forum and urged them to enjoy the wonders of the beautiful city of Maputo. The opening ceremony statements were recieved from Engineer Isidoro Pedro da Silva, Chairman of the Board of INCM, who extended a warm welcome and acknowledged joy for the number of participants from SADC Member States attending this important forum. He informed Delegates that INCM is taking all the necessary steps to implement the DVB-T2 standard which was approved by the Mozambique Cabinet. He said that the DTT broadcasting migration will bring good changes in social, economic and cultural values and stressed that we need to reduce the cost of acquisition and distribution of digital broadcasting services. Ms. Ida Jallow, the Senior Coordinator of the ITU HIPSSA Project, standing in for the Regional Director ITU Regional Office for Africa, Mr. Andrew Rugege. She conveyed Mr. Rugeges apologies for his unavoidable absence at this very important forum due to a prior engagement. She introduced the HIPSSA project and said that in country support for national transposition of adopted SADC harmonised model laws and guidelines are available. She commended the SADC Sub-Region as being the most organised, most prepared and most ahead in the DTT Broadcasting Migration in sub Saharan Africa. In his statement Mr. Abdoulkarim Soumaila, the Secretary General of ATU, thanked the SADC Secretariat for the invitation to participate in the 4 th SADC Digital Broadcasting Migration Forum and for strategically organising this forum, just before the ATU Digital Migration and Spectrum Policy Summit to be convened from the 27 th to 28 th September 2012 in Accra, Ghana. He thanked participants to finding time to be here and wish them a successful meeting and urged them to also participate in both the ATU preparatory meeting for the WTSA-12, WCIT-12 and the ATU summit, all to be held in Accra, Ghana at the end of September.

5 The SADC Director of Infrastructure and Service, Mr. Remigious Makumbe, brought warm greetings from the SADC Executive Secretary. He paid tribute to the Government and People of Mozambique for the importance they placed in supporting the SADC ICT Programme. He also congratulated the host for convening the Head of State Summit last week and their appointment as Chair of SADC. He informed the meeting that SADC Regional Infrstaructure Masterplan 2027 was approved by the SADC Summitt. The Forum received the reports from Member States on their status on the implementation of the SADC Roadmap for Digital Broadcasting Migration. In general, Member States were at different stages of the DTT migration, whilst some Member Sates have made strides there are those Member States who have not formally decided on which DTT standard to adopt. The forum recieved the report of the SADC GE06 Workshop which was held in South Africa. The Forum noted that SADC was the first REC to pursue a Sub-Regional preparatory workshop for it Member States so that they can establish a common position when attending the upcoming ATU summit and to contribute to the African Position.. The forum received presentations on valuable experience on the deployment of DTT from Japan (Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications) and Europe (DVB.ORG) using the ISDB-T and DVB-T standard, respectively. Complete solution financing shemes for DTT rollout by Hauwei. The forum made the following recommendations: Existing SADC objectives and revised time lines as stated in the SADC Roadmap remain relevant notwithstanding the delay in implementation. SADC Roadmap for DTT broadcasting migration be implemented through an all inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. DTT broadcasting migration benefits will be communicated to increase broader Government buy-in and facilitate civil society participation. DTT broadcasting migration should be seen as a central Government project of greater public and national interest and not simply an ICT project. Various funding mechanisms to fund DTT migration should be explored, including the Universal Service Fund (USF), Public Private Partnerships (PPP), and licensing of the digital dividend to other electronic communications services. SADC Member States to continue optimizing spectrum from MHZ by pursuing the GE06 Frequency Coordination procedures so as to benefit from

6 both digital dividend 1 ( MHz) and 2 ( MHz) that gained momentum during the SADC GE06 Frequency Coordination W. SADC Secretariat urgently sets up the Regional DTT Broadcasting Project Management Office (PMO) at the SADC Secretariat to mon itor and assess the implementation of the DTT Roadmap and Action Plan and to assist SADC Member States on challenges faced with the implementation of the Roadmap at National levels. SADC Member States are urged to second experts to the PMO. The meeting reviewed the pertinent issue of the Digital Dividend associated with the impending migration, in particular the appreciation of the opportunities ushered by the Migration to DTT and make the following recommendations: a) Harmonised planning and coordination of prerequisites b) Non Discriminatory allocation of services across sectors and stakeholders within the digital communication platform The Forum further recommended that the next ICT Ministerial Meeting be convened before the end of the year and still need to confirm the host of the SADC ICT Ministers Meeting, following the unavailability of the Host of the SADC Annual Ministers Meeting.. The next SADC DTT Implementation Steering Committee meeting will be held in Tanzania before the end of the year. The Forums in 2013 will be hosted in Namibia in April 2013 and the second forum will be hosted in Zambia later in the year. In his vote of thanks given on behalf of the Delegates to the forum, Mr. Isaac Cheke Ziba, a representative from the Deputy Chair of SADC, Malawi, expressed gratitude to the Government and People of Mozambique through the Honourable Minister of Transport and Communications of for hosting the 4 th SADC Digital Broadcasting Migration Forum. He commended the efforts of SADC in ensuring a Harmonised approach to Digital Broadcasting Migration. Indy Congress Hotel and Spa Maputo, Mozambique 30 th August, 2012

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