The long-awaited South African ‘Freevision’ digital TV platform has launched on satellite. The launch replaces a similar – but failed – service called ‘Vivid’. Vivid was intended to be made available to the wider public but it later fulfilled the service of broadcasting television channels to rural areas that could not ordinarily receive a television signal.

Freevision uses Intelsat 20, the same satellite as used by pay-TV giant DStv. Transmission is being managed by South African-owned Sentech.

Freevision beats by a week or so the launch of Platco Digital’s rival Openview HD.

A dish, receiver and installation should cost about 1350 Rand (about €100). Ryan Solovei, the executive director at Telergy Connect, one of the decoder suppliers which sourced the boxes from Durban-based manufacturer Altech UEC, said his firm would sell the boxes from R999 through various major retailers and furniture stores.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTH/Satellite