February 17th, 2015

Broadcasting and telecommunication executives meet in Johannesburg to discuss broadcasting future beyond digital switchover

Johannesburg, 17 February 2015 – Some 100 broadcasting policymakers and executives from the Commonwealth and other countries are meeting this week in Johannesburg, South Africa as part of the Commonwealth Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum 2015 to take place on 17 – 19 February 2015.

Held for the tenth consecutive year, this event has been a major contributor to the global effort to migrate analogue broadcasting systems to more spectrum-efficient digital platforms, with discussions focused on challenges faced by Commonwealth countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

This year’s event is focused on future opportunities in broadcasting for this group of nations and their industries. Key topics in the three-day programme include:

  • Enabling regulatory environments for digital terrestrial television
  • Multi-screen content delivery and the impact on fixed and wireless data networks
  • Investment opportunities in infrastructure and content development
  • Partnership models for broadcasters and data network operators.

“With the Geneva 2006 agreed switchover deadline of 17 June this year now just four months away, this year’s event is our first opportunity to focus our discussions primarily on the future beyond the switchover effort itself. In particular, it is my hope that more attention will be given to the use of broadcasting to support health, education, entrepreneurship and other areas so critical to the social and economic development of our member countries.” said Professor Tim Unwin, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation.

In addition to government and civil society representatives from 21 countries, a wide range of organisations is taking part in the event, including international and regional organisations (e.g. International Telecommunication Union, International Finance Corporation) and major signal carriers (e.g. Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat).

More Information

For more information please contact:
The Communications Team
44 (0) 208 600 3800
44 (0) 208 600 3819