KAMPALA - Uganda is set to emulate Rwanda in streamlining digital broadcasting before 2015 as the official deadline for all countries to migrate from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting.

According to Executive Director of ‘Next Generation Broadcasting’ (NGB) Uganda, Kwame Rugunda, the country will shut off analogue signals by December 2012 in order to ensure smooth transition to digital broadcasting.

NGB is working with Uganda Broadcasting Service (UBC) in championing this transition from analogue to digital.
"Rwanda has already made a significant progress in the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting,” said Kwame Rugunda.

He said that with the analogue system, the signal is transmitted using electromagnetic waves, which is not very efficient as in digital where the signal is compressed using encoding techniques to allow more channels to broadcast.

"With the adoption of digital broadcasting, viewers will be able to enjoy improved quality and a larger variety of channels,” said Joe Frans president of the NGB.

Digital terrestrial television (DTT) made its first public appearance in Uganda yesterday at Kampala Serena hotel ahead of a pilot phase that is expected to lead the country to a switch over to the more advanced digital technology.

It is reported that Rwanda will fully start digital broadcasting by March next year, five years earlier than the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deadline for all countries to adopt the terrestrial digital broadcasting.

Countries like South Africa, Botswana and Kenya have already progressed from analogue to digital broadcasting while Germany, Sweden and the US have successfully phased out the analogue system.

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