Angolan pay TV illegal in Namibia
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia on Thursday warned the public that it is illegal to use Zap A Minha TV decoders in the country.
NDAMA NAKASHOLE
A Windhoek shop that sold digital satellite television equipment for an Angolan pay TV service has been shut down by the communications regulator.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) issued a public notice last week warning the public not to subscribe to the broadcasting services offered by Angolan digital satellite TV provider Zap A Minha TV.
The shop owners who sold the Angolan TV equipment told Market Watch yesterday that they never offered subscription services but only sold equipment for the digital satellite television provider, which serves Portuguese-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Zap was launched in Angola in 2010.
In its statement on Thursday, Cran said Zap was not licensed to provide broadcasting services in Namibia and thus was directly contravening the Communications Act.
Cran also accused Zap of selling telecommunications equipment that had not been type approved for use in Namibia, which further contravened the Act.
The regulator warned Zap’s existing clients to cancel their subscriptions immediately.
When Market Watch visited the formerly Zap-branded shop in Windhoek West yesterday, the shop was displaying the branding of another popular satellite TV service whose decoders it also sells.
The owner, David Pedro, said Zap TV customers subscribed to the service in Angola and watched it in Namibia. He said he saw a business opportunity because Zap viewers had to travel abroad when they needed to replace equipment such as decoders or remote controls.
“We did not know we were committing a crime because we saw a business opportunity and started to sell decoders and other stuff. This was just a shop, not a service provider,” he insisted, adding that all subscriptions were done in Angola.
“A lot of people here in Namibia watch Zap TV. They use it and we thought we should come in and sell, as an opportunity to make money,” he said.
“Myself, I watch Zap at home. But if I want to subscribe, I call my brother in Angola, he does it for me, and I can watch here,” he added.
Pedro said about two weeks ago when Cran informed them that they were not supposed to sell Zap decoders, they got rid of all their stock and they did not intend applying for Cran approval of the equipment.
Zap Angola has no official representative in Namibia, as it is not licensed to broadcast here.
A Windhoek shop that sold digital satellite television equipment for an Angolan pay TV service has been shut down by the communications regulator.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) issued a public notice last week warning the public not to subscribe to the broadcasting services offered by Angolan digital satellite TV provider Zap A Minha TV.
The shop owners who sold the Angolan TV equipment told Market Watch yesterday that they never offered subscription services but only sold equipment for the digital satellite television provider, which serves Portuguese-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Zap was launched in Angola in 2010.
In its statement on Thursday, Cran said Zap was not licensed to provide broadcasting services in Namibia and thus was directly contravening the Communications Act.
Cran also accused Zap of selling telecommunications equipment that had not been type approved for use in Namibia, which further contravened the Act.
The regulator warned Zap’s existing clients to cancel their subscriptions immediately.
When Market Watch visited the formerly Zap-branded shop in Windhoek West yesterday, the shop was displaying the branding of another popular satellite TV service whose decoders it also sells.
The owner, David Pedro, said Zap TV customers subscribed to the service in Angola and watched it in Namibia. He said he saw a business opportunity because Zap viewers had to travel abroad when they needed to replace equipment such as decoders or remote controls.
“We did not know we were committing a crime because we saw a business opportunity and started to sell decoders and other stuff. This was just a shop, not a service provider,” he insisted, adding that all subscriptions were done in Angola.
“A lot of people here in Namibia watch Zap TV. They use it and we thought we should come in and sell, as an opportunity to make money,” he said.
“Myself, I watch Zap at home. But if I want to subscribe, I call my brother in Angola, he does it for me, and I can watch here,” he added.
Pedro said about two weeks ago when Cran informed them that they were not supposed to sell Zap decoders, they got rid of all their stock and they did not intend applying for Cran approval of the equipment.
Zap Angola has no official representative in Namibia, as it is not licensed to broadcast here.
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