Government to launch Abuja digital switch-over in December

The Digital Switch Over (DSO) in broadcasting will be launched in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja by the end of this year.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this after a tour of Pinnacle Communication Limited facility – the licensed signal distributor of the DSO in the FCT and Trefonics, said that the Abuja launch was the most ambitious project so far because of its (FCT) strategic location as the nation’s capital.

Mohammed, who noted that it was imperative to ascertain the level of preparation of all the stakeholders to ensure a successful roll-out in Abuja, said: “We are very much on track but I think it’s important to understand what the digital switchover entails. It entails that all the component actors be ready. Here is the signal distributor and we are quite impressed that before the end of November, this facility will be ready to distribute signals to the entire FCT.”

In his remarks, Chairman of communication firm, Lucky Omoluwa, said 100 per cent of all the equipment required for the DSO launch were on ground and that test transmission would start in four weeks’ time.

Also, Managing Director of Trefonics, Mr. Onochie Amasiani, said the company had already manufactured 50,000 set top boxes using only one of its six production lines.