Nigeria’s planned June 17 digital switchover target has come under fresh scrutiny as Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Monday raised concerns over the rollout’s legality, preparedness and potential effect on the industry, warning that the current framework violates existing laws and can waste billions in public funds.
That was as National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), also Monday moved to calm growing public anxiety over Nigeria’s proposed Digital Switch Over (DSO), insisting that the country’s long-delayed transition from analogue to digital broadcasting would not impose fresh burdens on Nigerians.
Addressing a joint press conference in Abuja, Director-General of NBC, Charles Ebuebu, and Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen, said the new strategy would allow millions of Nigerians with existing decoders to access more than 100 free digital channels without purchasing special set-top boxes.
However, BON, the broadcasters’ body representing public and private television and radio stations across the country, accused NBC of abandoning the legally approved Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) migration model in favour of what it described as a satellite television packaging operation disguised as digital migration.
In a strongly worded letter dated May 19, 2026 and addressed to Ebuebu, BON warned that the platform scheduled for launch next month did not meet the internationally accepted definition of a Digital Switchover.
The protest came barely one week after Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, alongside NBC officials, announced June 17 as the definitive rollout date for the nationwide migration following an inspection tour of facilities belonging to Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited in Abuja.
Government officials had unveiled a new “FreeTV” platform expected to distribute over 100 channels nationwide through satellite transmission technology.
However, BON argued that the satellite-first approach fundamentally contradicted both the International Telecommunication Union’s GE06 Agreement and Nigeria’s 2012 Digital Switchover White Paper, which it described as the only legally gazetted framework governing digital migration in the country.
According to the broadcasters, the approved framework clearly defines digital migration as the transition from Analogue Terrestrial Television to Digital Terrestrial Television, not a direct-to-home satellite broadcasting system.
Industry stakeholders warned that the current model could undermine one of the major economic benefits of the DSO project — the release of the highly valuable 700 and 800 MHz spectrum currently occupied by analogue television signals.
The spectrum, popularly referred to as the “Digital Dividend,” is expected to be transferred to telecom operators for broadband expansion and spectrum auctions capable of generating more than $1 billion in revenue for the federal government.
Critics argue that by moving channels to satellite transmission, instead of migrating terrestrial frequencies, NBC’s new framework risks leaving the spectrum trapped and economically unproductive.
Beyond the technical concerns, BON also accused NBC of stepping outside its statutory role as an independent regulator by allegedly acting as a content aggregator on the newly rebranded FreeTV platform.
The broadcasters warned that the move created a major conflict of interest capable of distorting competition within the industry.
In the letter signed by BON Executive Secretary, Dr. Oluyemisi Bamgbose, the association maintained that the 2012 DSO roadmap established a clear separation of responsibilities among regulators, signal distributors, and content providers to prevent monopoly and abuse.
BON stated that if the federal government intended to abandon terrestrial broadcasting in favour of satellite and streaming services, NBC was legally required to suspend unilateral implementation and reconvene all statutory stakeholders to develop and gazette a fresh national framework.
The body said affected stakeholders included licensed signal distributors, set-top-box manufacturers, channel owners, and members of the original DigiTeam that coordinated Nigeria’s migration roadmap.
The broadcasters also raised concerns over what they described as the hidden financial burden the new satellite-based system could impose on millions of Nigerians.
According to industry analysts, unlike conventional terrestrial migration that only requires a relatively affordable decoder connected to existing rooftop antennas, the new satellite model would require citizens to purchase satellite dishes, specialised decoders, and pay for technical installation.
BON urged NBC to immediately educate Nigerians on the true cost implications of the proposed system, particularly for low-income households.
The association warned that proceeding with the rollout without resolving the legal, technical, and economic concerns could further deepen the controversies that have trailed Nigeria’s digital migration project for nearly two decades.
Nigeria’s DSO programme, initially launched to modernise broadcasting and comply with global digital broadcasting standards, had faced repeated delays, policy inconsistencies, and logistical setbacks, despite reportedly gulping over N60 billion in public and private sector investments over the years.
With less than a month to the proposed rollout date, the face-off between the nation’s broadcasters and the broadcast regulator now raises fresh uncertainty over the future of Nigeria’s digital broadcasting transition and the wider digital economy.
Meanwhile, Ebuebu and Egerton-Idehen, earlier Monday, announced that the federal government had fixed June 17, 2026 for the national launch of the new “Big Picture” DSO framework, while complete analogue switch-off nationwide was expected by December 31, 2028.
The development marks a major policy shift in Nigeria’s troubled digital migration programme, which began nearly two decades ago but suffered repeated delays due to funding constraints, litigation, infrastructure deficits and disagreements among industry stakeholders.
Defending the revised framework, Ebuebu said NBC had abandoned the earlier terrestrial-only model in favour of a hybrid broadcasting architecture combining DTT, Direct-to-Home satellite broadcasting (DTH) and internet-based streaming platforms.
According to him, the old model had become economically unsustainable because of the huge cost of erecting and maintaining transmission towers across the country.
He said, “The solution we are bringing to the fore is that we are preserving the existing DTT and delivering also by satellite and IP systems. This is a platform by Nigerians for Nigerians.”
The NBC boss disclosed that under the new arrangement, the federal government had already paid for broadcasters’ carriage and technical services for an initial 18-month period to encourage participation and reduce financial pressure on operators.
He added that the commission was also developing a national audience measurement system capable of generating credible advertising data for broadcasters and advertisers.
Ebuebu said DSO would unlock Nigeria’s estimated N605.2 billion advertising market, while also expanding access to television services in underserved rural communities.
He dismissed concerns that NBC was attempting to compete with existing pay television operators, stressing that the FreeTV initiative was designed primarily to widen access to information, education and entertainment.
He said, “We are not going into competition with pay TV. It is a different market. We are trying to reach Nigerians in villages and remote areas who should enjoy the same quality of information and entertainment available elsewhere.”
On the controversy surrounding set-top boxes, the NBC chief explained that the commission had removed earlier technological restrictions that required proprietary decoders with encryption and subscriber management systems.
He said most common open-market decoders already in circulation could now connect directly to the national satellite platform without complicated installations.
“There is no need for anybody to come to your house to install special boxes. If you already have the common decoder in the market, you can connect immediately,” he said.
Egerton-Idehen also sought to allay fears over the lifespan and reliability of the NIGCOMSAT satellite infrastructure, disclosing that the current satellite would remain operational until 2028 and would thereafter be replaced seamlessly.
She revealed that the federal government had already approved the launch of two replacement satellites, with contracts awarded to global satellite firms, TELSA Linear Space and IAI, after what she described as a rigorous two-year selection process.
“The satellite will be there till 2028. We are replacing it and work has already started. Users will not need to change antennas or reposition dishes because everything will remain on the same orbital slot,” she said.
The NIGCOMSAT chief explained that pilot testing for the new DSO model had quietly commenced in November 2024, to evaluate technical and operational risks before public rollout.
She further disclosed that contingency arrangements had already been concluded with backup satellite providers to guarantee uninterrupted service even if there were delays in launching replacement satellites.
Egerton-Idehen also dismissed fears about inadequate transmission capacity, saying the platform could support more than 400 channels if necessary.
“We have enough capacity. We can accommodate over 400 channels and still expand further if needed,” she stated.
The agencies, however, admitted that lingering litigation involving local set-top box manufacturers had slowed aspects of implementation.
Ebuebu said the dispute, which relates to agreements on box supply and manufacturing arrangements, had prevented NBC from fully unveiling nationwide distribution plans for decoders.
He expressed optimism that ongoing mediation by industry stakeholders would soon resolve the dispute.
“But for the litigation, by now we would have announced dealers and distributors across the states. We hope the issue will be resolved soon because it is not doing Nigeria any good,” he said.
NBC also announced plans to establish six regional production studios aimed at promoting indigenous language programming and decentralising content production beyond Lagos and Abuja.
According to the commission, the DSO project would create jobs across broadcasting, creative production, equipment manufacturing and installation services.
The agencies insisted that the revised “Big Picture” strategy represented the most realistic pathway to ending years of policy paralysis in Nigeria’s digital migration programme.
They called on broadcasters, state governments, advertisers, telecom operators, manufacturers and consumers to support the transition process, warning that continued delay would further weaken Nigeria’s broadcasting industry and creative economy.
Speaking further, Ebuebu said, “The freed digital dividend spectrum (700/800 MHz) is estimated to be worth over $1 billion in auction proceeds, which will be reinvested into digital infrastructure and rural broadband.
“The creative economy, already contributing approximately N5 trillion to GDP and employing over 4.2 million Nigerians, will gain a modern distribution spine, enabling content export across West Africa via NigComSat-1R.
“Every naira invested in local content is expected to generate a 2.5x economic multiplier effect (UNESCO/Deloitte benchmark).”
Sunday Aborisade, Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole and Folalumi Alaran
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