Japan to assist SL to switch over to digital transmission

By Charumini de Silva

In a fresh bid to support Sri Lanka in its switch over from analogue to digital transmission, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan held a ISBD-T (integrated services digital broadcasting-terrestrial), Digital Broadcasting Business matchmaking seminar in Colombo recently. 

Sri Lanka’s broadcasting industry has been preparing itself to digitalise since 2014, where the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka to provide a loan up to 13,7 billion yen for assistance for the Digitalisation of Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Project.

Speaking at the event Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan International Digital TV Policy - Global ICT Strategy Bureau Director Norifumi Yamaguchi highlighted robustness of the ISDB-T transmission insisting that digital TV is an inevitable technology that must be embraced.

He pointed out that ISDB-T system was developed specifically to enhance aside from the normal viewing experience of the people, as well as to alert the public on real time information that affects lives.

Commenting on the status of the project Yamaguchi said: “At present, we are negotiating with the Government of Sri Lanka, broadcasters, media as well as manufacturers with a fresh bid to move towards digitalisation.” 

Given the rising need for subtitled and multilingual broadcasts in the television broadcasting after the conclusion of armed conflict and demand to use the media to provide disaster-preparedness information in a prompt, simple manner - the Government of Sri Lanka decided in April 2014 to adopt ISDB-T, the standard used in Japan, for digital television. 

He stated that although the Government of Sri Lanka entered into an agreement with JICA with regards to the implementation of ISDB-T in 2014, the change of Government has caused a delay in implementation of the project. 

“The objective of this project was to develop platforms, such as the transmitting stations and network operation centers required for ISDB-T digital television broadcasting, along with studios and other facilities. After the introduction of digital television, effective frequency use will be possible with television multiplexing and other technologies, which will also make it possible to provide much more diversified information than with conventional analog broadcasting, including subtitled and multilingual broadcasts, as well as data broadcasting that includes meteorological and disaster-preparedness information,” he explained.

According to the agreement, JICA will grant a soft loan of 13.7 billion yen to Sri Lanka with a 10-year grace period to be repaid in 40 years. Planned implementation schedule of the completion of the project was time bound to be June 2018 – when the facilities are put into service. The executing agency for the ISDB-T project was Mass Media and Information Ministry.

However, Yamaguchi acknowledged that during President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to Japan in October 2015, the Government of Sri Lanka had pledged for further development of ICT. 

“We are hopeful of a positive response from the Government,” adding that the Government of Sri Lanka will now have to decide on new time frame for the project. 

JICA’s policy is to support nation-building in Sri Lanka for development that all residents can enjoy, including improvements to the socioeconomic infrastructure toward raising Sri Lanka to the rank of an upper middle-income country.

Sharing the Japanese experience in the conversion from analog to digital he asserted that it took them seven and a half years to complete the process noting it was a difficult task to get all stakeholders convinced. 

“Japan started ISDB-T trials in December 2003, completed the digitalisation in 2011. It took us seven and a half years to convert from analogue to digital transmission. It was a very difficult task, but we cooperated with each other,” he added.

In addition, he pointed out that in February 2014, Philippines also adopted Japan’s ISDB-T as its new terrestrial broadcasting system. According to him around 20 countries have adopted the ISDB-T broadcasting system.

The seminar was useful in creating awareness among interested stakeholders to make this transition from analog to digital efficiently.   

The event also helped synchronise business needs and seeds between Japanese and Sri Lankan firms to promote business on telecommunication-broadcasting fields, which was well attended by various business operators who are in the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB)-T system of digital broadcasting.

In addition, it was heard by several mega Japanese corporation’s technology experts who introduced and explained the advantages of digital broadcasting products they offer which included Hitachi, NEC, Kota Inoue – Pixela, TOSSLEC, and Maspro. 

Pix by Lasantha Kumara