All Entries Tagged With: "TRAI"
Go digital or watch your TV sets turn blank
KOLKATA: With digitization of cable television becoming mandatory in the four metro cities of the country, nearly 30 lakh television sets across the city are going to turn blank on July 1, said cable operators as well as direct-to-home (DTH) players. Around 30 lakh television sets across the city are going to turn blank from July 1 when digitization of cable television is becoming mandatory in the four metro cities of the country, said cable operators as well as direct-to-home (DTH) players. Though the awareness level among city dwellers has risen considerably, but the number of conversions to »»»
We expect consumers to wake up on July 1 and ask for set-top boxes
As the June 30 deadline for the first phase of mandatory digitisation in metros draws closer, several multi-system operators are clamouring for extension. The buzz is that the Government may extend the deadline by a few weeks. “I do not see any reason why,” says Mr Harit Nagpal, President, DTH Operators Association of India, saying that the perception he got from his discussions with TRAI and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was that the deadline was sacrosanct. Excerpts from an interview: Is the DTH industry fully geared up to the challenge of digitising all metro homes in the »»»
Can we get on with digitisation now?
Should carriage fees in television be legitimised? This, it seems, is the main irritation that most broadcasters have with a new tariff order from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or Trai. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has raised its voice against it, and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) too mentions it in an otherwise approving press release. But, in fact, the legitimising of carriage fees is a masterstroke. Think about it. Carriage fees are charged because India’s creaking cable system doesn’t have enough bandwidth. Once digitisation – which this tariff order »»»
TRAI chief JS Sarma specifies moderate carriage fees
New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman JS Sarma explains the digitization of cable. He said that carriage fees should be moderate, between 50 paise to Re. 1 per subscriber per year. “Anything beyond that level would be unreasonable,” he said, adding that there can be no placement fee in post digitization world. Here is the full transcript of the interview. Vikram Chandra: Hello and welcome, we have with us the person who has been the man of the moment of recent days, Mr JS Sarma, head of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. So you have been in the news »»»
MSOs to be permitted 74% FDI: Jatua
NEW DELHI: Multi-system operators taking up digitisation with addressability will be permitted 74 per cent foreign direct investment as part of a move to bring about uniformity in FDI in broadcasting, Parliament was informed today. Even as the views of different Ministries are awaited on the proposal to increase FDI in the media, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua said his Ministry had worked out with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India certain terms and conditions to take care of security related concerns. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion cleared »»»
MSOs, broadcasters plan to move court over carriage fee
New Delhi: Not satisfied with the ‘must carry’ diktat and regulation of carriage fee outlined in the latest regulations by the broadcast regulator, both multi-service operators (MSOs) and news broadcasters may soon take legal recourse. MSOs and broadcasters are studying the order before approaching the courts, sources said. On Monday night, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) issued the tariff order and regulations for digital addressable system (DAS) roll out mandating every MSO to upgrade its delivery platform so as to carry 500 channels in DAS areas, starting with the four metros. »»»
TRAI’s new tariff order to fuel the DTH-cable war
If the onset of digitisation is sure to wage a war between the DTH players and local digital operators, the new tariff order from TRAI is sure to add the requisite fuel to this much talked-about battle. According to TRAI’s latest amendment, all channels including pay and free-to air will be offered on a-la-carte basis to subscribers. Not to forget, there will be a Basic Service Tier (BST) that will consist of a minimum of 100 free-to air (FTA) channels. Of the 100, 18 channels will belong to the public broadcaster DD along with Lok Sabha TV, while the remaining will belong to other popular »»»
