NCA engages stakeholders on digital audio broadcasting

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has educated operators of 16 FM stations on the technical aspects of its digital audio broadcasting (DAB) trial which is scheduled to begin on August 1, this year.

The participants also included KNET, the technical partners for the project, among others, who are part of the upcoming trials in Accra and Kumasi

The stakeholders were taken through key aspects of the programme including overcoming frequency constraints, improved reception quality, efficient spectrum usage, and enhanced interaction services, among others.

The Director-General of the NCA, Joe Anokye, emphasised the authority’s desire to seek innovation for the ultimate benefit of the industry, consumers and investors in the telecommunications and broadcasting space.

In line with that, he said, the authority had since 2017 created more room for the tall list of frequency requests the Authority had received.

He mentioned the formation of the Communication Monitoring Centre, the Network Monitoring System, Computer Emergency Response Team (NCA-CERT) and the opening of the expanded Broadcasting Monitoring Centre as evidence of the Authority’s work in the space.

Mr Anokye said the commencement of the DAB trials was opportune for the industry.

“My excitement is not simply that we will be the first country within the ECOWAS sub-region to embrace DAB, but, also, it clearly indicates that the NCA, being mindful of technological advancement within the broadcasting space, the limited spectrum at its disposal and the increasing interest in broadcasting, believes that latching onto DAB will be useful for us in Ghana”, Mr Anokye said.

Digital space 

Mr Anokye further added that amid the digital landscape, various positive developments were taking place, primarily concerning spectrum management and the government's digital transformation agenda.

Recognising that spectrum is finite and analogue options have been exhausted, he said the transition to digital platforms presented numerous opportunities.

Consequently, he said NCA invested in researching how to ensure spectrum efficiency, leading to the creation of the DAB.

“Currently, we are running the DAB for six months, granting stations cost-free access, which greatly contributes to advancing the digital transformation agenda.

“This exciting progress benefits all stakeholders, fostering new avenues for communication and content delivery”, he said.

Aspects

The acting Director of Engineering at the NCA, Rev. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, who educated the stakeholders on the various technical aspects of the service, emphasised that DAB had many benefits for broadcasters as well as the public.

He explained that with DAB+, the version Ghana would be showing the way for its counterparts.

The DAB+, he said, offered good quality audio that also supported multiple radio channels leading to spectrum efficiency while allowing for value added services, among others. 

Advancement

Speaking on behalf of the selected stations, Alhaji Dr Abubakar Sidique of the University of Ghana’s Radio Universe, said he was happy to see that advancement of technology with radio broadcasting in the country.

 He recounted the beginning of FM broadcasting in Ghana and the various challenges that were faced as the nation’s broadcasting industry began to grow.

He was of the expectation that the trial would be successful to add value to the country’s FM broadcasting space.