Zimbabwe's government is to import approximately 400 000 set-top- boxes from Chinese ICT and telecommunications services provider Huawei to enable locals to continue to watch television as the country migrates to digital broadcasting.

Set-top-boxes are required to pick up digital signals and, according to the country's minister of information, media and broadcasting Christopher Mushohwe, will be made available at a reasonable rate for the benefit of the country's rural population.

The devices will be initially sold by the national broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), at a yet to be disclosed price tag.

TV viewers interviewed by ZBC news earlier this month complained about the Corporation's poor programming and poor reception in many parts of the country.

In addition to set-top-boxes, authorities have also announced their intention to source digital equipment to replace outdated infrastructure in order to improve programming and picture quality.

Last week, Eutelsat announced its partnership with the Zimbabwean government to facilitate the use of its satellite technology to expand digital broadcasting.

Under the three-year deal, Eutelsat will partner with Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) to bring Ku-band capacity on the EUTELSAT 3B satellite.

It is envisaged that after the country's digital migration project, most rural areas will be connected.