The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) has published a list containing only 10 suppliers for digital television set-top boxes.
This development is in the wake of the quickly approaching June 2015 global deadline to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The list includes: Widestar Digital (U) Ltd, BIT Technologies (U) Ltd, Mac Viva Global Holdings Ltd, Future Electronics (U) Ltd, Roise de Classe (U) Ltd, Icomsys Africa Ltd, Brivid Uganda Ltd, Trans-African Container Transport Ltd, eWorld Technologies Limited and Kagadi Technical Services.
Uganda is a signatory to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is responsible for standardization and regulation of radio and telecommunications worldwide. In 2006, ITU resolved that the switch to digital broadcasting services must be done by the end of 2015.
Some local dealers in the same gadgets (STBs) have however voiced concerns regarding the selection of vendors saying they were unfairly left out.
To meet the international obligation, cabinet in 2011 approved the Digital Migration Policy that spells out the different roles of various stakeholders in the implementation of the policy. According to the policy, government would put in place the enabling policy, legal and regulatory framework -and private broadcasters would work on digital content development and processing.
Members of the public, according to the policy, would be required to purchase set top boxes or integrated digital TV receivers in order to receive digital terrestrial transmissions.
