Mozambique
Technology Co. since the release of
funds agreed in the contract with the
Mozambican government is subject to
a process that depends on other factors. These funds will be allocated in the
framework of bilateral credit agreements
between the Government of the Republic of China and the Mozambican state.
The EXIM Bank of China is the institution responsible for financing the building of the network for digital migration
in Mozambique.
The contract was signed awarding the
digital migration process to StarTimes
Corporation, Co, the three public companies, Televisão de Moçambique, Rádio Moçambique and Telecomunicações
de Moçambique created the Transport,
Multiplexing and Transmission company, TMT, which will be responsible
for the transport and transmission of the
digital television signal.
After the announcement of an initial
delay in the implementation of digital
terrestrial television, scheduled for June
2015, lack of financial and technical
conditions meant that the process was
again delayed until 2016. The digital
migration project in Mozambique was
launched in December 2015, enabling
the transition from analogue to digital
television signal.
The pilot project began with the installation of 18 television transmitters in the
capitals of the provinces of Sofala and
Nampula and will terminate in 2016
with the installation of transmitters in
the other provincial capitals and 8 border towns: Ponta do Ouro, Ressano Garcia, Vila de Manica, Ulóngue, Zóbue,
Milange, Namaacha and Madimba.
To discuss the issue of migration from
analogue to digital radio and television,
professional organisations related to the
media held debates and conferences,

where criticism was levelled at the way
the process was being conducted. At issue is the fact that the project is being
implemented without any public tender awarded to the company StarTimes
Software Technology Co, a company in
which the former head of state Armando
Guebuza has direct economic interests.
In 2012, a study conducted by IBIS Mozambique warned about, among various
issues, the exclusion and secrecy with
which the Government was driving the
digital migration process. The study was
presented and discussed first in Maputo
and then in all the provincial capitals of
the country. It was also distributed by
public bodies, but by the looks of it noone showed any interest in the danger
that was being announced.
In general, there is much scepticism
and general insecurity over whether the
country will succeed in completing the
transition until 2016, given the absence
of visible progress in mobilising financing, installing network infrastructure,
procurement, purchasing of equipment,
technical tests, and especially the establishment of the public company of digital signal transmission and distribution,
which will, in practice, control on the
ground the whole process of digital signal distribution. Strangely, private radio
and television operators, which are the
majority in the country, will be excluded
from the process.

Conclusion
The exercise of Freedom of Expression
and of the Press in Mozambique has
made great gains since the approval of
the Press Law 91 of August 10. One of
the concerns among professional organisations in the media and civil society
are the focus of these violations of freedoms. Another concern is the absence
of the Broadcasting Law to regulate the

So This is Democracy? 2015

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