Cabinet approves STBs manufacturing sector strategy

Cabinet agreed further that the Ministers of Communication, Trade and Industry and Economic Development would consult on measures to ensure localisation of STB manufacturing. The strategy also provides for ownership support for poor households, as the country moves from analogue television broadcasting signals to digital broadcasting. The STBs ownership support rollout framework deliver fully subsidised outdoor and indoor antennae to poor households. This includes installation costs associated with rolling out digital signals.

The statement said further that a partnership between government and the STB manufacturing industry will help create "a strong and globally competitive electronics manufacturing industry in South Africa. [...] it will also drive job creation along the total digital migration value chain." STBs have been identified as an important tool for public access to government information and services. "Government is therefore playing a critical role in bridging the digital divide in the country," Cabinet said. According to Engineering News, the deadline for digital migration is June 2015. After this date, analogue television sets will require an STB to receive the digital broadcast signal.

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