Ghana’s Official DTT Receiver:
Contributing to Ghana's Digital TV Switchover
In response to the crucial need for the transition to digital television in Ghana, we embarked on a significant endeavour – developing software for the official Ghana digital terrestrial television (DTT) receiver, funded by the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation. The project is a pivotal contribution to the realisation of the digital switchover (DSO), a national initiative spearheaded by the Ghanaian government.
Since the early 2000s, countries worldwide have embarked on the transition to digital television, often referred to as DSO or analogue switch/sign-off. This extensive process entails replacing older analogue television broadcasting technology with digital television. It primarily involves the conversion of analogue terrestrial television broadcasting infrastructure to DTT. A major advantage is the better use of frequencies on the radio spectrum. Additionally, it leads to reduced broadcasting costs and enhances the viewing quality for customers.
Berlin became the world’s first city to switch off terrestrial analogue signals on August 3, 2003. Luxembourg was the first country to complete its terrestrial transition on September 1, 2006. The transition process is conducted by individual nations according to different schedules. In some countries, such as Australia or Mexico, it was implemented gradually, which means that each region had a separate date for the DSO. In others, the entire country switched over on one date, as was the case in the Netherlands.
In the Ghanaian context, the DTT network was adopted using DVB-T2 technology. The Ghanaian government has opted for encrypted access to digital television in the new network. This opens the possibility for the collection of a Digital Access Fee (DAF). Various methods, including the use of Set-Top Boxes (STBs), can facilitate DAF collection, contingent upon the available infrastructure and implementation. In Ghana, it was decided to use operator-specific STBs.
Project Team
For this venture, a dynamic coalition of stakeholders from around the globe joined forces. Life Forms, subcontracted by the Ghanaian government, functions as a general contractor, overseeing operations. For the project lead, Life Forms appointed Bryn Jones, who is also the main contact point between the development team and the customer. Vantage and Guangmao were tasked with producing the STBs, while the chipset is supplied by Montage. Additionally, Nagra provides their CA-System and performs the integration testing for it. K-Net is responsible for operating transmission stations and towers, and conducting final testing to ensure seamless functionality. For providing the whole system software, we were charged with crafting the software based on our existing DVB Turnkey application TVolution and our DVB Middleware Inaris.
The Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation funds the development of approximately 300,000 STBs according an official standard outlining the required capabilities of the STBs. This standard formed the foundation for our endeavours and the functionalities to be incorporated, outlining the capabilities required of both operators and STBs and specifies how they should work together.
Timeline and Milestones
Launched in June 2023, this major undertaking involved passing several quality gates and obtaining certifications from the National Communications Authority (NCA), a government-affiliated organisation. Certificates were acquired for hardware components, including Nagra, on Linux. This milestone signified approval and official confirmation of compliance with specifications, ensuring that the software met the ordered requirements.
The Ghana DSO endeavour also involves close collaboration with Guangmao in order to ensure successful porting and system software updates. Software updates are essential to maintaining the functionality and performance of the system.
Furthermore, the acceptance process for production involved a collective effort from the project team, with a primary focus on testing by K-Net, the Transmission Tower Operator. Specific functions and error scenarios, such as power outages, were tested to ensure the robustness of the system.
Challenges and Results
Great User Experience on a Budget-Friendly Platform
We encountered and successfully addressed several difficulties during the project. One significant hurdle was providing a great user experience (UX) on a low-cost platform. We have reached an outstanding UX by employing innovative tools like Embedded Wizard, our graphical user interface (GUI) solution known for its speed. Despite the constraints posed by the budget-friendly chipset, our team worked diligently to ensure a great UX, prioritising seamless navigation and responsiveness.
Digital Access Fee for the New DTT network
The DAF concept was a pivotal part of the project, particularly concerning fee collection from end-users and the transition from free to encrypted channels. This ambiguity prompted methodical planning from our team to ensure software functionality across various scenarios. Moreover, obtaining Nagra CA certification for NASC 3.0 on Linux has been a key milestone in the project. The certification process demanded precise attention to Nagra security requirements and certification tests.
Collaboration in a Global Project Team
The Ghana DSO project entailed working in a worldwide team, with hardware development and manufacturing operations situated in China, project leadership and STB vendor roles located in South Africa, testing activities conducted both in Ghana as well as South Africa, and our software development based in Munich. Testing in Ghana was conducted at a notably late www in the project, which caused a delayed understanding of the testing procedures and expected outcomes. Nevertheless, the whole team navigated this obstacle effectively, and ultimately real network tests were conducted by Life Forms in the final wwws before launch. This dispersed team structure required extensive coordination efforts. Yet, we still successfully fostered strong collaboration across locations. Despite the absence of core team members on-site, the project team managed to execute a seamless bring-up process in Ghana, a remarkable achievement that underscores our dedication and teamwork.
A Significant Role in Specification Development
We proactively tackled gaps in the STB specification head-on. Our team went above and beyond to outline the technical specifications and functionalities needed for the project, ensuring its compliance with the desired criteria and standards. For instance, the STB specification did not cover the GUI. Consequently, our team assumed the responsibility of creating one from scratch. This task held significant importance as the specification had to be finely tuned to suit a distant market, necessitating careful consideration of West African customers. We began crafting a detailed GUI specification tailored to Ghanaian preferences. This included elements like a colour scheme inspired by the vibrant hues of the Ghanaian flag, as seen in the pictures below, where yellow is used for progress and scroll bars, and green for buttons.
System Integration and Operational Readiness
After the implementation and the tests in the laboratory, it was essential to establish the entire system end-to-end in order to finalize the STB testing. Specifically, our team was involved in the System Software Update (SSU) and the Nagra Conditional Access System (CAS) for encryption and activation. This marked a crucial step towards operational readiness; every component must seamlessly integrate and operate. This end-to-end approach ensures that signals from broadcasters reach the network, enabling end-users’ access to encrypted channels. A key element was ensuring that the STBs could receive specific signals for software updates and the encryption system. Our contribution centered on providing expertise for the test environment and procedures crucial for software updates.
This aspect of the project emphasises the importance of cohesive teamwork, collective responsibility, and the significant contributions made by all team members. Our collaborative efforts ensured that the entire system functions cohesively, from broadcasting signals to STB functionality, enabling seamless access to encrypted channels and ensuring operational success.
Possibilities for Future Software Extensions
Given the novelty and scale of the project, several key considerations arose, such as distribution strategies, geographical coverage for STBs, and ensuring technical support availability for end-users. This prompted us to prioritize forward-thinking and anticipate future software needs, including enhancements like PVR, PushVOD, and interactive features such as streaming service integration. As a result, we ensured that our software architecture maintained flexibility and adaptability to seamlessly incorporate these advancements when required.
The end product is a tailored package for Ghana, featuring a modern, customisable GUI. From middleware to UI, it offers control and the potential for enhancements through software updates. We take great pride in our contribution to this project as part of a global effort that marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s digital television journey.
