The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has completed phase I of its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project. Nine cities have been connected under this phase, according to the interministerial committee steering the project. The committee presented the progress to Communication Minister, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, on December 19. 

Under the next phase of the project, 46 more cities will be covered. This phase should cost around $60 million. 

The interministerial committee has opted for a restricted call for tenders to select a technical partner for this stage. During the December 19 meeting, a roadmap was established to guide subsequent phases and ensure effective execution while avoiding logistical and financial challenges. The full completion of this project is expected to yield significant economic benefits.

"Besides benefits in terms of image quality, reduced operating costs, and an expanded TV offering, DTT can improve TV audience measurement. Thanks to the statistics provided by set-top boxes, advertisers will be able to identify which TV channels are really being watched and refine their communication and marketing strategies accordingly," explained Servan Ahougnon, a journalist specializing in communication at Ecofin Agency.

A dynamic and modern audiovisual sector is likely to attract foreign investment, encouraging technology transfer and the growth of new businesses. DTT could stimulate local content production and foster the emergence of job-creating creative industries such as audiovisual production and directing.

According to the Global System Operators' Association (GSMA), migrating television to digital will free up significant spectrum for mobile services in the 470-862 MHz frequency range. These frequencies are suitable for long-distance communications, enabling mobile operators to extend network coverage to rural areas while offering lower costs to consumers, thereby promoting greater mobile penetration.

This would also allow telecom operators to deploy high-speed technologies like 4G or 5G more easily and offer new services such as interactive TV, mobile TV, and video-on-demand. These should generate increased financial revenues for both telecom operators and the government. Since its launch in 2018, DTT has generated $82 million in revenue for the public treasury, and the government aims to increase these earnings.

This article was initially published in French by Muriel Edjo

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho