FG Begins Digital Switchover Training For Installers In Ibadan

The federal government has commenced technical and sensitisation training for installers of set-top boxes and related reception equipment in Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of efforts to accelerate Nigeria’s transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting.

The training, organised by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), began on Friday at the commission’s Ibadan Zonal Office.

The commission said the programme is the first in a series of nationwide capacity-building exercises aimed at preparing technicians for the country’s renewed Digital Switchover (DSO) initiative.

According to the NBC, more than 50 technicians and installers from states across the South-West are participating in the exercise.

Speaking ahead of the programme, the Head of the DSO Unit and Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the NBC, Mrs. Clementine Usman-Wamba, said the training was designed to equip installers with the technical skills required for the successful deployment of Nigeria’s new digital television ecosystem.

She said the programme would ensure the smooth, efficient and error-free installation of digital reception equipment as the country intensifies preparations for the nationwide switchover.

Usman-Wamba noted that Nigeria adopted the Digital Switchover policy in 2008 following the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 2006 directive requiring member states to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 2015.

She said the country, however, missed that deadline, as well as subsequent targets in 2017 and later years, owing to funding shortfalls, policy inconsistencies, infrastructure deficits and logistical challenges.

According to her, although pilot rollouts were conducted in Plateau, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Kwara, Osun, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory, nationwide implementation remained incomplete.

She recalled that after several unsuccessful attempts and more than ₦60 billion reportedly spent on the project, the Federal Government, through the NBC and NIGCOMSAT, unveiled a renewed implementation strategy in 2025.

The initiative, branded The Big Picture, was officially launched on June 17, 2026, with the final analogue switch-off scheduled for December 31, 2028.

Under the new framework, Nigeria adopted a hybrid broadcasting model combining Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite transmission through NIGCOMSAT-1R and Internet Protocol (IP)-based content distribution to achieve nationwide coverage.

Usman-Wamba said the satellite-first model is expected to accelerate digital television rollout by more than 65 per cent while reducing reliance on expensive terrestrial transmission infrastructure.

She added that through the FreeTV platform, built on the DVB-S2 standard, viewers would have access to up to 100 free-to-air digital channels with enhanced picture and sound quality across an estimated 40 million television households.

She further explained that Nigeria has adopted the DVB-T2 transmission standard with MPEG-4 AVC compression for terrestrial broadcasting, enabling broadcasters to transmit up to 20 television channels on a single frequency.

According to her, consumers can access the new services using DVB-S2-compatible set-top boxes, currently priced between ₦15,000 and ₦25,000, or smart television sets equipped with certified DVB-T2 digital tuners.

Usman-Wamba explained that the Ibadan training became necessary because installers must now possess expertise in terrestrial antenna alignment, satellite dish installation and the configuration of hybrid reception devices capable of supporting multiple transmission platforms.

She noted that the new digital broadcasting ecosystem differs significantly from the previous analogue system and earlier terrestrial-only DSO pilot projects, making installer training critical to reducing installation errors, minimising service disruptions and ensuring seamless access to digital television services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Beyond broadcasting, she said the Digital Switchover is expected to deliver significant economic benefits by freeing valuable broadcast spectrum—the digital dividend—for telecommunications and broadband expansion.

Industry projections, she noted, indicate that the advertising market could expand by as much as ₦605.2 billion, while local production of digital reception equipment is expected to create more than 20,000 jobs.

Usman-Wamba said the Ibadan exercise marks the first of several training programmes planned across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, adding that building a skilled installer workforce will be critical to achieving universal, affordable and high-quality digital television services ahead of the December 31, 2028 analogue switch-off.