SA edges closer to analogue switch-off after 15-year delay
· Citizen
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) says it is edging closer to its target to digitise South Africa.
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South Africa has missed more than 10 analogue switch-off dates, with the latest one halted by the courts in March last year due to the lack of consultation with broadcasting stakeholders.
The court rulings have hampered the 15-year attempt to finalise the digital migration, while socio-economic and infrastructure challenges hamper the expansion of access to digital services.
Progress of digital migration
Responding to questions from The Citizen about the progress of the digital migration, the DCDT said that broadcasting digital migration (BDM) operations are progressing steadily, with installation teams continuing to connect registered and qualifying indigent households nationwide.
“As of 31 March 2026, a total of 416 804 installations had been completed against a target of 447 815, leaving just over 30 000 households outstanding. Of these, approximately 23 000 households require follow-up visits as installers work to locate beneficiaries and complete installations.
“The programme remains fully operational, with ongoing work to ensure that qualifying households are reached and connected. The department continues to work closely with municipalities and local partners to strengthen coordination on the ground and improve beneficiary verification processes,” the department said.
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Installations
The department said efforts are focused on accelerating installations and ensuring that the “programme reaches its intended beneficiaries efficiently”.
“With a view to continuing consultation with stakeholders concerning the steps to be taken to achieve analogue switch-off, [Minister Solly Malatse] has requested industry and other interested parties to join the steering committee. Several preliminary meetings have been held with some stakeholders.”
The department said multiple stakeholders joined the steering committee kick-off meeting in February 2026, and the parties are currently finalising the terms of reference for this committee.
“At the same time, the department is addressing a significant amount of correspondence received from some of the broadcasters’ lawyers in order to ensure that the process is transparent and responsive to stakeholder concerns.”
The department said the next meeting is scheduled to take place in April 2026.
What is digital migration?
The digital migration project is beyond the original December 2010 deadline set by former communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri during former president Thabo Mbeki’s administration.
It can potentially disrupting the operations and viewership of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and other free-to-air channels like e.tv.
Households are required to register for set-top box (STB) installations – commonly referred to as decoders – as part of the migration to digital broadcasting.
The decoders can be either digital terrestrial television (DTT) or direct-to-home (DTH) devices.
The primary difference lies in their signal distribution methods: DTT uses land-based digital transmitters, while DTH relies on satellites to deliver digital broadcasts.
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