Zambia: President authorises establishment of taskforce on digital migration

Zambian President Rupiah Banda has authorised the establishment of a digital migration National Taskforce to oversee the implementation of digital migration broadcasting in Zambia. Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha said the taskforce will be responsible for the transition to digital broadcasting which is supposed to be done by 2015, a deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

During a press briefing in Lusaka, he said the taskforce would among others come up with the roadmap for digital migration, make recommendations and oversee the national digital migration process. Among the taskforce’s terms of reference is to formulate appropriate consumer awareness strategies, monitor awareness and recommend a licensing policy regime relating to network.

Shikapwasha said the taskforce‘s operations would be coordinated by a secretariat and would be reporting to the Inter-ministerial Committee chaired by the Ministry of Information. The Taskforce would comprise representatives from the private and public radio and television stations, Zambia Information and Communication Authority, and private mobile service providers.

- August 09, 2010 by MISA Zambia

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Source: www.misa.org  (received via email alert on 09.08.2010)