Story by Tendai Munengwa
Government has implored national signal carrier, Transmedia, to expedite implementation of the ZimDigital Phase Two Programme in line with Vision 2030 to ensure all communities have access to factual information.
This came out as media stakeholders came under one roof in Harare this Wednesday to deliberate on how best Transmedia can provide information dissemination infrastructure countrywide.
The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere, who was the Guest of Honour at the strategic session, challenged the Transmedia board and management to move with speed in facilitating the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.
“We are nine years behind on the full implementation of transition from analogue and to digitalization. There are so many risks associated with failure to do that. I understand we are 38 percent digitalisation on television and 62 percent on radio. So, the brainstorming session should align your operations with Vision 2030 of leaving no one and no place behind,” Dr Muswere said.
Dr Muswere noted that the information dissemination space has reached a point of convergence where Transmedia should re-align operations with the Information Communication Technology Masterplan.
“You need to get your priorities right – for us to achieve media information sovereignty and deal with social media imperialism, Transmedia must brainstorm on putting infrastructure across the country to enable the freedom of factual information to the majority and also the issue of aligning with power utility to ensure electricity is readily available in all transmission boosters,” he said.
He also gave an insight into the progress made towards amendment of the Broadcasting Services Act to generate more revenue for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
“We are working on amendments of the act so that the vehicle licence registration generate revenue for the national broadcaster.”
The ZimDigital Phase Two Programme targets to install 30 more transmitters and take them to 48 countrywide.
