The Director General of National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu has given more insights on the expected gains of nationwide Digital Switch over (DSO) very soon.
Speaking in an interview in Ilorin recently, he averred that revealed that with the right content, only broadcasting would grow economy by about N450bn per annum through increase in advertising, Nollywood income and value added services, saying, this is aside volumes of direct and indirect opportunities for jobs in the broadcast industry.
Continuing, Kawu revealed that apart from advertising, the Federal Government can potentially raise digital dividend of over N450bn from the sale of spectrum, thereby ensuring that the whole DSO programme is self-funding.
Continuing, NBC boss noted that “Digitisation allows new communicative, journalistic and content consumption, which will force us to reformulate the existing paradigm.
“The digital transition in the broadcast media is in pursuance of the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) recommendations during the Regional Radio Communication Conference of 2006 and the subsequent Geneva 2006 Agreement.
“The RRC-06 established the Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Plan in the 174-230 MHz (VHF Band III) and 470-862 MHz UHF Band IV and V) bands.
“However, in Nigeria, the transition to digital terrestrial television will be implemented in the 470-806 MHz band,” Kawu noted.
