Mozambique to ban import of analog radio and tvs

The Mozambican government is drafting legislation to ban the importation of analog radio and televisions, in line with its 2006 commitment to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to switch to digital radio and television broadcasting by 2015.

Mozambique's communications regulatory body, the National Communications Institute (INCM), said that the nation will soon be following the DVB-T2 system (Digital Video Broadcasting - Second Generation Terrestrial), which is widely used in Europe.

Although Mozambique is reportedly well advanced in its preparations for the migration to digital, analog equipment is still being imported into the country. The analog system is fast becoming outdated worldwide and will be rendered obsolete by 2015.

The chairperson of the INCM, Isidoro da Silva said "We don't want the country to be a dumping ground for this equipment which just won't work later."

The first country in the world to make a wholesale switch to the digital system was Luxembourg in 2006.