By Progress Godfrey 

ABUJA – The Federal Government has said Nigeria’s long-awaited Digital Switch-Over (DSO) would serve as an economic lever, projecting it to unlock a N605 billion advertising market and over $1 billion in spectrum value.

This was disclosed in Abuja on Monday when the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited  (NIGCOMSAT) gave technical and policy briefings on the Digital Switch-Over programme.

Speaking, the Director General of NBC, Mr Charles Ebuebu, said the transition, scheduled for national launch on June 17, 2026, will move the country from analogue broadcasting to a converged digital system that combines satellite, terrestrial and internet delivery.

Ebuebu said the shift is designed to fix long-standing gaps in coverage, monetisation and audience measurement that have limited the growth of the broadcasting and creative sectors.

According to him, the new “Big Picture” strategy reflects a more practical approach after years of stalled implementation and policy delays. He said the model moves away from a terrestrial-only system and embraces a hybrid structure capable of reaching underserved and remote areas across the country.

“The DSO will unlock the N605.2 billion national advertising market through verifiable audience measurement, generating new revenue streams for broadcasters and content creators. 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,” he said.

The DG added that improved audience data through a national measurement system would allow broadcasters to price advertising more accurately, while the platform would expand access to over 100 free-to-air channels nationwide.

He also noted that the transition is to stimulate local manufacturing of set-top boxes and create demand for millions of devices, while offering viewers subscription-free access to digital television.

On the technical side, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen said the agency has put in place measures to ensure uninterrupted service throughout the transition period.

She emphasised that the current NigComSat-1R satellite would remain operational beyond its design life into 2028, even after fuel depletion, through inclined orbit operations that allow continued broadcasting with minimal degradation.

Egerton-Idehen also confirmed that a fully funded commercial backup satellite has been secured at the same orbital slot to eliminate any risk of signal disruption before the launch of replacement satellites.

“NigComSat1R can continue broadcasting in inclined orbit mode for an additional 12 to 18 months, with only a gradual degradation in link margin, not a blackout. There is no scenario in which Nigerian viewers lose FreeTV signal due to a launch delay. The backup satellite is a fully operational, commercially available asset,” she noted.

The NIGCOMSAT boss added that the transition between satellites would be handled at the uplink level, meaning viewers will not need to adjust their dishes or replace decoders, as both the backup and future satellites would operate from the same orbital slot with matching technical parameters.

This approach, she said, ensures continuity of service while supporting the broader goal of building a resilient, sovereign-controlled broadcasting infrastructure.