By Esther Awuah
The eventual migration from analogue to digital broadcasting services by the end of 2014 ahead of an international deadline of June 17, 2015 is expected to give a boost to the telecommunications industry in the country.
William Tevie, the Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), who stated this, said “there is a beautiful linkage between the migration and improved telecoms service.
“Because more channels can be transmitted over a single frequency under the digital system, a lot of spectrum from TV stations would become free, and that would then be transferred to the telecoms industry to boost services in the area of LTE (long term evolution) and 4G, which is where the industry is moving now.”
With digital TV migration, less power would be needed to transmit television signals more efficiently and that would also allow more signals to be carried over a given infrastructure.
This would in turn provide viewers with improved sound and image reception without interference.
Mr. Tevie noted that during the digital migration period, television viewers will be required to get a digital set-top-box (STB) solution which converts signals into content, which can then be displayed on a television screen.
“The National Communication Authority (NCA) is working with stakeholders to provide affordable set-top-boxes and flexible payment plans to enable people, who cannot afford digital TV sets to also be part of the migration,” he emphasised.
Mr. Tevie disclosed this at the inauguration of the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR), a group made up of journalists with specialization and interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and telecoms issues.
He indicated that NCA had outlined plans to embark on an intensive public campaign to educate the general public on the new digital system and called on the media, particularly members of NCR to help in that direction.
“Unfortunately, reporting on the industry is still largely a fallow area because very few journalists pay attention to the key industry issues. NCR has therefore come at a good time because it presents hope for a better coverage of the industry.
“We at the ministry have looked forward to the day when media houses would dedicate special pages and airtime slots for purely communication industry issues. It is my hope that NCR would drive that as part of their commitment to give the industry the coverage it deserves.”
NCR, which is an affiliate of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), is aimed at bringing together communicators with interests in ICT reporting, equipping journalists/communicators with skills in ICT reporting, educating and informing the general public on ICT issues and also advocating for ICT as a paramount tool for development and access to international communities.
NCR will also serve as a business and social networking platform for members and key sector actors.
Charles Benoni Okine, Dean of the NCR, pledged the group’s commitment in ensuring that ICT becomes a major driver of economic growth in the country, given the sector’s enormous and largely under-tapped potential.
He noted that “the Network will constantly keep an eye on government policy implementation in the area of ICT as a contribution to ensuring that the country gets the best out of every ICT project.”
The event, which was supported by Vodafone, Nokia, Airtel, MTN, Tigo and Alltel, was also used to inaugurate the 12-member executives of the group.
The executives include: Charles Benoni Okine of Daily Graphic, Dean, Larry Quartey; Ghana News Agency, the Vice Dean; Samuel Doe Ablordeppey of the Graphic Business, Financial Secretary; Esther Awuah Zormelo, Daily Guide & Business Guide, Assistant Financial Secretary, Benjamin Konadu Arthur of the Finder, as General Secretary, and Ekow Essabra-Mensah, Business & Financial Times, Assistant General Secretary.
The rest are Fred Sarpong, Business Week, Organising Secretary, Nana Appiah Acquaye, Vibe FM, Assistant Organising Secretary, Felix Dela Klutse, Economic Tribune, Executive Secretary, Frank Agyei-Twum, Adom FM, Assistant Organising Secretary, Samuel Dowuona, Adom FM and Evans Boah-Mensah, Business & Financial Times, Media Liason and assistant respectively.
About Me
- Esther
- I am a business reporter with Daily Guide and Business Guide newspapers published by the Western Group of Companies. I was a general reporter when I joined Daily Guide in 2006, but along the line I realized the need to specialize. So I found business reporting as the best area to specialize and I have been on the desk for about four years now. Since I started reporting on business related issues my interest has being in the areas of telecommunications, the extractive industry (ie. oil, gas and mining), and the Small and Medium scale Enterprise (SME) sector. I have a page dedicated to SMEs in the weekly Business Guide newspaper were I write features on the SME sector in Ghana. In view of this I was adjudged the best SME reporter for 2009 during the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards in 2010. This has further motivated me to pursue development driven stories which will help change policies and enhance the livelihoods of Ghanaians. I am a member of the Ghana Journalists Association and an executive member of the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR) in Ghana.
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