The federal government on Thursday 22nd December 2016 launched the Abuja phase of the Digital Switch Over (DSO), signalling the commencement of the full roll-out of
digital broadcasting across the federal capital city.
After several years of unsuccessful move by past administrations to switch over from analogue to digital broadcasting, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has at last edged the country into
the league of digital world. Nigeria transited from analogue to digital television viewing on April 30, 2016 in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when it
launched the pilot phase of the Federal Government’s digital transmission project that kick started the digitization process in Nigeria. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) had given Nigeria up to June, 2017 as deadline to switch from analogue
broadcasting to digital across the country. Speaking at the DSO launch held at Mpape hills, Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed,
said although the DSO would not take place in one fell swoop across the country, the federal government remains resolute in its commitment to meeting the
2017 deadline for the DSO. “Let me use this opportunity to reiterate the government’s unwavering commitment to meeting the set deadline of June 2017 for the analogue to digital switch over here in Nigeria. The DSO train that took off in Jos has now arrived in
Abuja, from where it is set to move to other parts of the country unhindered.” Mr. Mohammed, who described the launch as revolutionary in the Nigerian
broadcasting ecosystem, said 30 free channels would be available for Abuja residents upon the switch over while over 450,000 Set-Top Boxes (decoders) have
been provided for the commencement. “Our objective is not just to move Nigerians from analogue to digital in a simple technical sense, but to ensure a total overhaul of the whole TV watching experience and the economy around it”, Mohammed said.



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