Confusion surrounding Zambia’s digital migration tender has come to end, at least for now.

The Zambian government has finally awarded a tender for digital migration to Star Software Technologies Company of China.

The contract, which is valued at $9,554,124, is for the supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of phase one of the national digital terrestrial broadcasting in Zambia.

The move to award Star Software Technologies with the deal; though, comes after confusion over whether the company was even in the running for the tender.

Last year, the Zambian government at first denied it awarded the tender to Star Software Technologies after the company announced it had won the tender.

The confusion ultimately led to the cancellation of the tender, and the dismissal of several senior government officials.

As a result, the country failed to beat a 2013 regional deadline to complete its digital migration.

And now the ministry of information and broadcasting services has said the tender has been awarded to the Chinese company, and that the project will be undertaken in three phases.

The first phase involves the installation of equipment along a rail line from Chililabombwe to Livingstone in eight months.

The deputy minister of information and broadcasting services, Bert Mushala, who signed the digital migration tender with the company in Lusaka on Thursday, said phase two of the project will be for provincial centres, including the purchase of studio equipment for Lusaka, Livingstone and Kitwe. Phase two is planned to run from this year up to January 2015.

Mushala added that phase three of the project will be implemented in 2015 in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline and will include the installation of transmission sites in the rest of the country.

“Arrangements to implement other phases are being made. Zambia will ensure that it fulfills the international deadline as required by ITU. We are convinced that Star Software Technologies has the expertise and experience to deliver the project according to the contract,” Mushala said.

Zambia launched its digital migration policy in June this year after it was approved by cabinet.

The ITU has a digital migration deadline of June 2015.