1. Who is UBC?

Uganda Television and Radio Uganda the current Uganda Broadcasting Corporation was born in 1963 one year after Uganda’s independence. It’s main aim was to broadcast through both mediums to the whole country.After independence till the mid 1980’s Uganda was faced with a lot of economic hardships. As a result many institutions including the national broadcaster suffered a general deterioration. It is with this background that the Ugandan Government saw the need to restructure the former Uganda Television and Radio Uganda. As a result Parliament passed the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act that established the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation in 2005. This transformed the former UTV and Radio Uganda into the now existent Uganda Broadcasting Corporation. The Corporation started it’s activities on the 16th of November 2005. The main aims of the Corporation are to develop the former Radio Uganda and UTV into a public national broadcasting center of excellence, for the purpose of providing electronic media and consultancy services that educate and guide the public. It also aims at achieving and sustaining comprehensive national radio and television coverage. UBC still remains 100% owned by the Government although not 100% financed by it. The Corporation realizes it’s income from the sale of TV and Radio airtime and rental of it’s technical facilities. UBC’s move to attain a common carrier status will ensure issues of national importance transmitted as one so that other commercial broadcasters obtain their live link from UBC.

2. What makes UBC different from others?

UBC today boasts of being one of the best media service providers in Uganda. Our programmes both on television and radio continue to educate, inform and entertain. We now transmit to almost all parts of the country and at times even beyond our borders.

3. What are the Adverstisement rates for TV and Radio?

UBC offers the best rate card in the Broadcasting field i Uganda and East Africa as a whole. Please send in a request to have our rate card emailed to you at info@ubconline.co.ug.

4. What Ugandans need to know about migration to Digital TV.

1. What is migration from Analogue to Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting? It is the transition from analogue to digital TV broadcasting, utilizing digital signals rather than analogue waveforms to carry broadcast over assigned frequency bands. Audio and video are processed electronically and converted into a digital signal. This digital signal is then transmitted from a terrestrial site, over the air, received by a normal roof top TV antenna and reconverted by receivers or set- top boxes into the analogue format required by your existing TV set. 2. Why must Uganda migrate? The Regional Radio communication Conference (RRC-06) of which Uganda is a signatory set 17 June 2015 as the deadline for all countries to migrate from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting. Analogue technology is expensive to maintain, frequency inefficient and therefore gradually getting obsolete. Frequency spectrum is a scarce resource and its efficient use is critical. Digital broadcasting means that more valuable spectrum can be released and used for other services like fire, ambulance, police, military and other emergency services. All over the world migration to digital broadcasting is taking place, Uganda however plans to shut off the analogue signal by December 2012 in order to ensure a smooth transition. 3. What are the advantages of Digital Broadcasting? With the adoption of digital broadcasting viewers in Uganda will be able to enjoy improved reception quality, a larger variety of channels, enhanced broadcasting applications like the Electronic Program Guide, multimedia data and entertainment services, all this capped with more efficient use of the spectrum in the country. The existing and future broadcasters will also reap the benefits from reduced installations and transmission costs, and superior technology in their operations. Digital broadcasting also presents an added opportunity for local content development since it will be a core part of the migration effort. In addition it will provide viewers with an opportunity to access newer and cheaper pay TV channels. 4. What is Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)? Terrestrial (land based) means television broadcast using transmission antennas located on the surface of the earth, usually on a mast, tower or building. For Kampala this tower is located at Kololo. If you are within the area covered by a tower, then you will be able to receive the broadcast services via an antenna which is usually placed on the roof, the antenna could also be placed indoor close to the television set. The antenna then needs to be connected to a set top-box (STB) or to a digital ready TV set. DTT is therefore the broadcast of digital signals to the viewers through a conventional antenna as opposed to a satellite dish or cable connection. 5. What is the difference between analogue TV and digital TV? In analogue, the signal is transmitted using electromagnetic waves which is not very capacity efficient. In digital the signal is compressed using encoding techniques, to allow for more channels to be broadcast. Based on the compression technology 8 channels can be provided in the same frequency as one analogue channel. This would enable the TV stations to develop niche channels such as news, sports and movie channels. The Government would also be able to broadcast dedicated channels for public service such as health, agriculture, gender, development and other education services. 6. Will I need to buy a new TV to receive Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)? Most current analogue sets will be able to receive DTT using an STB. Your TV must have audio and video inputs (A/V), or alternatively have an RF input, to ensure that your set-top box can connect to your TV. If you have this, you should be able to use your current TV set. You don’t need a high definition (HD) TV, LCD, TV to receive DTT. In the next few years, there will also be TV sets available on the market with an integrated set-top box (that means a set-top box already built in with the TV). 7. What is a set- top box? The set-top-box (STB) also referred to as a decoder is a receiver that when connected to your TV will decode the digital signal to enable the channels to be displayed on your analogue television set. This STB also has a provision for offering pay TV service to the viewers. Existing decoders on the market for satellite reception will not work for DTT. Without the STB you will be unable to access the digital terrestrial television services on your television set. 8. What is the timetable for migration in Uganda? The migration to digital has commenced and is expected to be completed by December 2012. During the migration period, viewers will be able to receive digital as well as the current analogue signals. This period is referred to as the simulcast period due to the broadcast of both analog and digital signals. However, once the analogue shut off is done at the end of 2012, viewers will need to have a DTT set-top box to receive either free-to air- television stations or pay TV services on the DTT platform.