May 2015 May 2015 Minister of Information Media and Broadcasting Services, Professor Jonathan Moyo on 18 May 2015 appeared before a joint portfolio committee meeting of the Media Information and broadcasting services and Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services to give an update on the country’s digitisation process. 1. Informed of a 4 week delay in beginning of the project owing to challenges with American authorities during the processing of approximately US$12million to Huawei. 2. Noted that the country would meet ‘contextually’ meet the 17 June deadline, as BAZ, ZBC and Transmedia had come up with an operational definition that would be the yardstick for measuring the compliance. The definition was as follows a) Switching off analogue transmitters that cause interference to the digital television services of other countries b) Switching on the digital transmitters at those sites to enable continuity of service provision. 3. Three (3) border transmitters, likely to interfere with neighbouring countries as determined by a preliminary assessment, namely Kamativi, likely to interfere with Zambia, and the Mutare and Nyanga, likely to interfere with Mozambique, would the first to receive the first of the new 24 digital transmitters in the country. 4. During the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, the country would broadcast using dual illumination. This is because of the likely challenges that may occur, which include the importation of the required set- top boxes. Huawei is expected to supply an initial 400 000 set-top boxes which government intends subsidise to cost US$20.00. 5. 4 UHF television multiplexes will be available to the country, but only two (2) will be used - one dedicated to ZBC for its channels and the other to the private players. Each multiplex will host approximately six High Definition channels 6. The country would require 2 years (2017) to complete the process, a shift from the initial timeline of 30 September, 2016. The presentation by Professor Moyo presented inconsistencies in earlier information as had been pronounced by his deputy, Hon. Monica Mutsvangwa who according to The News Day of 14 May 2015 Day had said that there would be an open tender for the supply of Set –top boxes for the country. Of note also was the shift from the total 30 transmission sites, as presented by BAZ CEO, Engineer Muganyura to the 48. The location of the new sites still remains unknown. As reported by The Chronicle on 28 May, 2015, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Media and Broadcasting Services, George Charamba on