The Zambian government plans to introduce a compulsory single nationalised digital carrier to transmit signals via all television and radio stations across the country.

Officials have said it could be more cost effective to have a single carrier feeding many television and radio stations in one particular area.

Amos Malupenga, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has told lawmakers that the Zambian government plans to introduce a single carrier for the country.

The Zambian government has told lawmakers that may fail to meet the December 2013 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) deadline on digital migration. Instead, it plans to meet the 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for digital migration, giving government time to decide on the issue of a carrier.

“We want to introduce a single nationalised digital carrier that will be transmitting signal to televisions and radio stations. This is cost effective and will enhance quality broadcasting,”Malupenga said.

Malupenga said the planned single digital carrier is part of the digital migration process that the Zambian government has embarked on.

However, the idea is being opposed by private televisions and radio stations that are suspicious that the Zambian government may use the signal carrier to control the growth of private broadcasting and to stifle competition in the sector.

The idea of a national carrier is being opposed partly because the Zambian government has not fully explained yet as to who exactly will exercise the rights and the responsibilities of owning the national carrier.

The private radio stations including the pay television MultiChoice Zambia have submitted to the lawmakers that there must be, “no compulsory national carrier, but that each licensed broadcaster must be allowed the space to choose and associate its channels freely.”

But Chibamba Kanyama, the director general of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), said the station supports the idea because it makes broadcasting cheaper and makes it easier to expand the coverage.