In French-speaking Africa, the transition to DTT is being finalized in many countries. In Côte d'Ivoire, the analog signal was switched off on November 13, 2021, and all DTT channels are now operational. In Senegal, 85% of sites are now in service, covering 90% of the population. In Benin, 95% of the territory is covered, and in Burkina Faso, 98% of the territory is covered and the analog signal was switched off on November 1, 2019.
In other countries, the stage of progress varies from one country to another and is hampered more by funding issues than technical issues.
One of the greatest benefits of migrating to DTT is the freeing up of the frequency spectrum and the possibility of using the freed-up bandwidth for new services. These highly valuable frequencies can be sold to telecom operators so that they can improve their offerings to the public. This is known as the digital dividend.
In Europe, the digital dividend has enabled the transition to 3G and 4G and has brought in several billion euros for each of the European states.
Low frequencies, which allow for more robust wave propagation and require fewer transmitters or transmission stations, are highly sought after by telecom operators: these are the "golden frequencies."
For African countries, the digital dividend can represent significant sums of money, given that it brought in €3.6 billion in 2011 for 4G licenses and €2.8 billion in 2015 for "golden frequencies" in France.
As we can see, the benefits can be enormous for African countries that have successfully completed the transition to digital. It is also an opportunity for the population to benefit from better quality services at lower cost, as has been the case in Europe. Now that all the equipment installed by telecom operators has long since been amortized, the digital dividend could also be a new opportunity for development for them.