Africa-Press – Mozambique. The authorities in Mozambique are to start turning off analogue television transmitters from next Monday, the National Telecommunications Institute of Mozambique (INCM) said in a statement on Friday.
“On 20 September analogue broadcasting transmitters located in the cities of Maputo, Nampula and Tete will be switched off,” the note reads, explaining that this is the first in a series of shutdowns as part of the process of switching over to a digital signal that is to be completed by the end of the year.
In the first phase, until 30 September, 16 transmitters will be switched off across the country. In a second phase, between then and the end of the year, a further 14 in more remote areas will follow.
The open digital terrestrial television signal in the country was inaugurated on 8 October 2020, in the city of Beira, by the country’s president, Filipe Nyusi.
“Our goal is to increase territorial coverage to 85% in 2024” and “start the migration of sound broadcasting,” he explained then, calling for detailed studies so that the analogue switchoff is not “a factor of exclusion”.
The migration from analogue to digital broadcasting is being undertaken with $156 million (€127 million) in funding from China.
The network combines 60 relays spread across provincial capitals and several districts, starting with 18 open channels.
To connect analogue television sets to the new standard, converters are needed that are sold at authorised agents of Transporte, Multiplexação e Transmissão (TMT), the public company responsible for the signal, at a price of 1,200 meticais (around €16).
