The Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Malam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, has disclosed that all is set for the switch on of digital TV experience in Gombe State.
Explaining issues at an interactive session with select media chiefs in his office in Abuja, he said the signal distributor in charge; Pinnacle Communications Ltd has finished installation of equipment for Gombe State Digital Switch Over (DSO).
While assuring that the quality of equipment installed by Pinnacle Communications was up to standard and particularly good for the process, Kawu averred that “the Commission would take decision on when it would launch DSO in the state”.
“As I speak to you, Pinnacle was also working to install facilities in Asaba for Delta State DSO
and had already procured equipment for six different locations in the country.
“I can say that as someone in broadcast industry for 42 years, the quality of equipment installed by Pinnacle was really up to standard and particularly good for our processes.”
In his explanation, the Chairman, Pinnacle Communications Ltd, Mr. Lucky Omoluwa, said, “Pinnacle broadcast centre had been on since 2016 and never went off even for five minutes.”
Business Hilights recalls that the White Paper powering DSO allowed the Commission to sign on two signal distributors for the job of providing relevant infrastructure for the effective delivery of DSO ahead of next deadline set by the federal government.
It would be recalled that upon assumption of office, Kawu hit the ground running by ensuring that the transition from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) was re-energised. One of the first important steps he took was to broker the settlement of the dispute between the Commission and Pinnacle Communications Ltd, one of the signal distributors for the DSO project. This resulted in the out of court settlement which brought the whole DSO project back on track.
With all hands on deck working assiduously day and night, Abuja DSO was launched within seven months in December 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
In a rapid succession thereafter, Kwara, Kaduna, Enugu and Osun States were switched on to the digital platform in line with the phased program NBC had adopted to streamline the whole DSO program.
