MDadmin
PROTOCOLS
I want to thank our Signal Distributors, Integrated Television Services (ITS) and Pinnacle Communications Limited (PCL), for turning up for today’s meeting. Similarly, I will like to welcome Engineer Edward Amana, Chairman DIGITEAM NIGERIA, and the other invited guests. I believe that a meeting like this is imperative, in order for us to look at the work we have done together so far, on the Nigerian transition from Analogue to Digital Television Broadcasting. I have a chart board in my office now, that was recently installed by the Directorate of Engineering and Technology. It offers a visual pattern of the progress that we’ve made so far with the DSO, in terms of states that we’ve have switched on, and the states that we still have to. It’s a classic expression of the famous point of view about the glass of water. While the pessimist might say it is half-empty, the optimist would say it is half-full! In our case, it expresses, in its naked nastiness, in a manner of speaking, just how far we must still travel.
However, the much we have done so far, is testimony to the incredible sacrifices and investments of the two signal distributors. They have rolled out infrastructure in Jos, the FCT, Kwara, Kaduna, Enugu and Osun. I also know that they are putting up their equipment in Gombe and Delta now. ITS and PCL, have invested significantly in the transmission backbone, on which we have placed the whole DSO platform. And all-year round, they have continued to make investments in terms of the unceasing expenditure of energy and the technology. Yet, I’m also aware that there are many “uncleared effects”, again in a banking manner of speaking that they would like us to straighten up, to enhance their contributions to the process of the DSO. It is finding solutions to any and every issue that dog their operations and ours, that form the basis of today’s meeting. As we often state, we must work together. The DSO is a collective platform and it is working together, asking painful questions, quarreling sometimes and then finding solutions together, that help us to progress. That is what I hope we would do together today. The agenda distributed is comprehensive enough for us to be able to examine issues that impact upon the roles of the signal distributors in the DSO process.
As is our wont, I look forwards to a robust exchange in today’s meeting so that we can remove misunderstandings; clear distrust and engage with ourselves on all the issues. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re all welcome to today’s meeting.
