By Rita Okoye
For the General Manager, Integrated Television Services (ITS), Musbau Rotimi Salami, his outfit has been ready since May to go digital and enable those on terrestrial TV connect to the world.
In this chat with TS Weekend, he explains the intricacies of digital broadcasting and the way to go about it. Enjoy
Can you tell us briefly about yourself?
My name is Musibau Rotimi Salami. I am the General Manager of Integrated Television Services Limited (ITS). I was born in Zaria, Kaduna State. I had my secondary school education in Verhoeven Technical School, Minna, Niger State. I read Electrical/Electronics Engineering in Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin. I graduated in 1982 with distinction. I also have a PGD in Electrical/Electronics from Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). I was the Transmitter Installation and Maintenance Engineer with NTA, before my appointment as General Manager, ITS.
Is it true that you are going digital soon and even you’ve been ready since May?
Yes, we of the ITS have been ready since May 22, 2017, but the way the platform is designed by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission is such that they provide the equipment, the conditional access programme, and the EPG. They have a contractor who does this and we have since informed them to come and integrate those systems on our own platform. So, we are ready, but the NBC needs to be ready too.
What does ITS really do as an organisation?
In ITS, ours is to build a transmission platform that will receive and transmit signals from the national, regional and local space in Ilorin. We have been able to receive signals on the DCS platform; those signals belong to NBC.
Right now, there are about 22 of them, but they need to programme signals specifically for Ilorin, they need to create programmes specifically for Ilorin, they had to complete national signals and local insertions.
So, how can this help to digitalize Nigeria’s broadcasting media?
For now, we are concentrating on those infrastructures of NTA that we used for signal broadcast. But unfortunately for us, what we can only inherit from this transition are the mast and transmitter hose. NTA’s transmitters are obsolete, they are analogue and they are not even supported by the equipment manufacturers anymore, so they are not useful in the new process.
Are you saying NTA is delaying the entire process?
The only benefits we have here now are the mast and transmission hose. For instance, in Ilorin, their antenna is obsolete because it is VHF, while we are operating on UHF. So, the only thing we have gained here is the mast.
Now, what should be done to get it right?
For the process to be completed, the NBC needs to make the EPG system available, it’s the signals that would be used to activate the decoder for the receivers at home. There is also need for the NBC to make the set of boxes available and affordable for the residents.
How true is it that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has intervened to hasten the whole process?
Already, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has called for a review of it. We are eagerly awaiting the review, as this will discourage the current situation where those who operate at the fringes and contribute minimally reap so much to the detriment of the major stakeholders.
What is the significance of the visit of National Assembly members to NTA broadcasting centre, Ilorin?
Besides fulfilling their own oversight function to keep the switch-over projects on track, their visit affords ITS the opportunity to explain their side of the story, that everything done at the Ilorin center has been to the standard of global broadcasting equipment installation best practices. The National Assembly Ad-Hoc Committee’s visit to Ilorin will go a long way to shape the future and direction of digital broadcasting in Nigeria. I’m also appealing to NBC to specify equipment, not in terms of uniformity, but design standard in line with the white paper on DSO.
There were insinuations that the equipment used at the Ilorin centre was substandard and obsolete.
Such complaints were misplaced and a lack of understanding of the technology behind the equipment used. Everything used for the Ilorin switch over installation had met standard as specified by Digiteam/NBC for dvbt2. The technology in the broadcast industry is dynamic and never a straightjacket thing where one fits all.
What value would digital broadcasting add to the people?
This is a new era of television viewing experience for the people. The Integrated Television Services welcomes the people of Kwara State to this digital television service for all. The excitement is just beginning. It is expected that in the near future, other value added services would commence and we will all be fully integrated to the new world. One of the advantages of digital broadcasting is that it opens up the terrain. You will observe that in Ilorin presently, there are only two players available for the six places earmarked for local broadcasters. The onus is now on interested local players with adequate content and pedigree to step up the plate. The opportunity is there for the taking. When fully operational, ITS will have on its platform over 30 channels on its free TV bouquet, thus delivering unbeatable state of the art quality television experience and pocket friendly plan to the people of Kwara State.