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Regulatory Technology Case study

Watching every
channel, all day.

Technical broadcast monitoring for terrestrial TV, satellite and FM radio across West and Southern Africa.

Region

Malawi · Gambia · Ghana

Platforms

DVB-T · DVB-S · FM

Analysis

24/7 transport stream

A single transport stream error can freeze screens, and priority errors can take a service off air. Across West and Southern Africa, the systems we installed analyse broadcast parameters every second and log what they find.

Broadcast monitoring installation
The Challenge

Digital broadcasting
is complex.

A single DVB-T multiplexer carries multiple television channels, each with video, audio and data streams packaged into transport stream packets. For FM radio, precise modulation and deviation parameters must be maintained. Any technical fault can affect thousands of viewers or listeners instantly.

Regulatory bodies faced mounting challenges: how to detect transport stream errors (ETR 290 priorities 1, 2 and 3), identify continuity counter errors, monitor PCR jitter, verify PIDs, ensure proper PSI/SI tables, and guarantee signal quality across terrestrial and satellite platforms — all while covering FM radio simultaneously.

The stakes were high. Technical failures mean black screens, frozen images, audio dropouts and loss of critical broadcast services. Citizens lose access to news, education and emergency information. Broadcasters face licence violations for quality issues beyond their control.

Monitoring equipment detail
Monitoring hardware
Control interface
Real-time control interface
In Their Words 03 regulators

Three authorities,
one standard.

Broadcast monitoring control room, National Communications Authority, Ghana
01

“The comprehensive monitoring capabilities have revolutionized our oversight of Ghana's broadcast landscape. We can now ensure technical compliance across all platforms simultaneously.”

National Communications Authority, Ghana Accra · 6 systems
Broadcast monitoring centre, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority
02

“The system instantly flags TS errors before they impact viewers. We detect problems milliseconds after they occur — often before the broadcaster even knows there is an issue.”

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Blantyre · 5 systems
Broadcast monitoring control room, Public Utility Regulatory Authority, The Gambia
03

“We needed complete visibility across satellite and FM broadcasts. The integrated platform delivers exactly that — unified monitoring with specialised technical analysis for each platform.”

Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA), The Gambia Banjul · 4 systems
The Solution

What we
built.

What we built combines signal acquisition, transport stream analysis and alerting across DVB-T, DVB-S and FM.

At its core, each installation features high-density tuner arrays capable of simultaneously capturing 50+ television and radio channels. For digital TV, every transport stream packet is analysed against ETR 290 standards. For FM radio, modulation parameters, deviation and audio quality are continuously measured.

Deep packet inspection engines work around the clock: monitoring continuity counters, validating PCR intervals, checking PAT/PMT consistency, detecting PID errors, measuring bit rates and identifying sync byte losses. Automated systems flag Priority 1 errors (service interruption), Priority 2 (potential problems) and Priority 3 (quality degradation).

And when faults occur? Instant alerts route to the right personnel, complete with error timestamps, affected PIDs, severity levels and diagnostic data. Engineers can drill down to individual TS packets. What once required expensive field test equipment is now available centrally, 24/7.

DVB-T signal processing unit
DVB-T signal processing unit 01
FM signal processing unit
FM signal processing unit 02
DVB-S signal processing unit
DVB-S signal processing unit 03
System Architecture Signal → report

How the BMS
works.

An integrated pipeline from signal reception through processing, monitoring and reporting.

Signal sources

01

UHF / VHF antenna

Terrestrial TV (DVB-T)

02

Satellite dishes

DVB-S / DVB-S2

03

FM antennas

Radio broadcasting

04

Wolf 2MS tuners

Dual-tuner units

BMS platform

Receive

  • DVB-T decode
  • DVB-S decode
  • FM demodulation
  • TS ingestion

Monitor

  • ETR 290 analysis
  • PCR accuracy
  • PID tracking
  • Signal quality

Record

  • 24/7 content log
  • TS archiving
  • Timestamping
  • Playback search

Report

  • Fault alerts
  • Trend analysis
  • Compliance logs
  • Custom reports

Core infrastructure

Multiview displays Main servers Storage Multiview server Monitoring & recording servers

Regulatory outputs

01

Live dashboard

All-channel overview

02

Remote workstations

Client / field access

03

Fault alerts

Instant escalation

04

Compliance reports

Regulatory documentation

Capabilities 04 pillars

What the system
measures.

01

ETR 290 compliance analysis

Full ETR 290 analysis across Priority 1, 2 and 3 errors. Detect TS sync losses, continuity errors, PCR jitter, PAT/PMT issues and PID anomalies in real time across 50+ simultaneous channels.

02

Multi-platform coverage

Monitoring across DVB-T terrestrial television, DVB-S satellite platforms and FM radio. One dashboard for every transmission technology, with platform-specific parameters.

03

Transport stream deep analysis

Packet-level inspection of MPEG transport streams — bit rates, PCR accuracy, PSI/SI validation, PID structures and multiplexing errors caught before they reach air.

04

Automated fault alerting

Instant notification when technical thresholds are exceeded. Configurable alarm rules for TS errors, quality degradation, carrier loss and modulation problems, with severity-based escalation.

The Impact

Where it is
running.

01

Ghana

2018 · Multi-regional

Our largest deployment. Modular systems across key regions, from Accra to the north, covering more than 200 regional and national TV services on satellite and terrestrial, and over 500 FM stations nationwide.

02

Malawi

2024

20+ DVB-T/T2 and DVB-S/S2, 100+ FM stations monitored, letting the regulator oversee every licensed broadcaster from a central operations centre in Blantyre.

03

Gambia

2025

Four positioned systems monitor the entire spectrum, with particular attention to cross-border broadcast spillover.

Looking Forward

Built to
adapt.

The broadcast landscape continues to evolve. Streaming services, social media broadcasting and digital migration present new challenges for regulatory authorities. But the foundation we have built is adaptable, scalable and ready for what comes next.

We are already working on next-generation capabilities: social media monitoring integration, automated multilingual content analysis, and predictive analytics that identify potential violations before they occur.

Because protecting audiences is not just about technology — it is about commitment. And that commitment drives us forward, every day.

Your Spectrum Next

Need this level
of oversight?

Tell us what you regulate and how many channels you carry — we will scope the monitoring system around it.