Zimbabwe's government is canvassing for US$125 million for the completion of its long overdue digital migration programme.

The programme, which is 25% to complete, has been dogged by financial problems since its inception. The Zimbabwe government failed to meet its December 2016 digital migration deadline due to financial constraints.

"Money is still a problem. We still owe Huawei of China US$24,2 million and to other service providers assisting us with the migration project," said Obert Muganyura, CEO of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).

However Muganyura is confident the Southern African country will meet its target this year, and says the programme is moving in the right direction, despite liquidity challenges.

In June 2015, Zimbabwe missed a vital deadline to have completed digital migration.

While countries including Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique; Rwanda and Tanzania have migrated successfully to digital transmission, Zimbabwe - like many other countries on the continent - has yet to complete the process.

It is envisaged that upon completion possibly this year, "up to ten digital channels will be carried on the bandwidth that it takes to carry just one analog channel, potentially offering much more choice in programming," says Muganyura.

"We also expect the picture quality, and sound to be much better. The freeing up of the spectrum allows the possibility of using frequencies for broadband internet or other wireless services," he adds.

The change to digital migration programme is considered to be a positive development, but will come at a cost to locals.

The TV licence system will cease to exist and subscription-based TV will come into the fold, and Zimbabweans will be expected to fork out between US$3 and US$5 monthly to access content.

This will be in addition to securing a new set-top box priced at a subsidised price of US$25, which will become a prerequisite for digital transmission.