Jain TV Group announces the launch of Headend in the Sky (HITS) project

Dr. J.K. Jain, Group Chairman, Jain TV Group announced on 9 August 2012 that the Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSTPL), one of the companies of Jain TV Group, has prepared itself to launch the HITS project.

NSTPL has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 at 62 degree East. The company will use the capacity to create a white label, turnkey channel package that can be received and distributed by multiple system and local cable operators throughout the country. NSTPL’s HITS platform has been branded as JAINHITS and it is meant to support India’s national goal of changing television networks from analogue to digital system.

The Government has got the Cable TV amendment Act 2011 passed by both houses of Parliament. The amended law mandates that the entire distribution of TV signals on cable TV networks shall only be permitted in the digital mode. HITS is the best and cheapest delivery mechanism in digital broadcast space. HITS is the only technology that can implement DAS (Digital Access System) in one stroke all over India, meeting all the regulatory and licensing requirements at the same time. HITS technology with the help of Subscriber Management System (SMS) and Conditional Access System (CAS) can monitor and control all accounting, billing and cable distribution related business functions of all the subscribers all over the country.

HITS will show subscriber numbers to broadcasters, tax authorities, all partners in the cable distribution chain and all other interested parties, accurately and transparently. Subscribers shall benefit from itemized billing details so that they will be charged only for the channels that they wish to subscribe. Today, there are about 60,000 Cable Operators and about 6000 Headend operators that serve more than 90 million Cable Homes. HITS is the only technology that can transform the Cable Distribution business into trouble free, dispute free and Crime free enterprise.

HITS is a “New Generation Network”(NGN) that consists of Satellite Transponders in the outer space, spectrum on the airwaves, teleport equipped with a dish farm that can downlink all the satellite channels, decrypt each channel, bundle them together, encrypt the aggregated signal in digital form, aggregate multi program streams and uplink to the Satellite in the outer space so that Cable Operators can receive on a single dish all the 200 to 500 channels. The HITS operator would have already negotiated and obtained the permission of various broadcasters for using their content and settling the pricing issues. This efficient technology also helps in conserving energy as well as saving on carbon footprints.

JAIN HITS operator shall follow the logic of “Connect and Collaborate approach”. Collaboration with HITS operator makes sense for the Cable Operators of all categories and capacities including big MSOs (Multi System Operators), Medium and Small Cable Operators (COs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs). A HITS operator sets up a Super Headend with capacity to serve all the partnering Cable Operators who need not put up expensive Digital Headend to meet regulatory, licensing and commercial requirements of running this business of distributing satellite TV channels. Cable Networks who are willing to “connect and collaborate” with the HITS operator can meet the statutory requirements of QOS (Quality Of Service) parameters as set by TRAI without risking big investments and without losing their cable networks ownership and clients.

An individual Cable Operator does not need to setup one’s own digital headend if all the required services can be obtained from a super headend of a HITS operator at affordable costs. The Mini Downlink Headend for implementing the “connect and collaborate” strategy with HITS operator is at least 20 times cheaper than the digital headend in terms of capital cost with negligible maintenance cost. The best news is that Cable Operators who subscribe to the “Connect and Collaborate” strategy not only maintain almost same level of net income, as they would have earned by having their own digital headends. In addition, they will continue to retain the ownership of their networks& clients integrated with professional customer care resulting into a very different Quality of Experience (QoE).

Once a Cable Operator has secured his business by maintaining his ownership of his cable network and after ensuring the supply of the paid and free to air channels which his customers demand, then, he only needs to worry for the competition from DTH operators. DTN (Direct To Network) services are much cheaper and much better than the DTH signals. It is a common knowledge that DTH signals either stop or deteriorate during rains or any disturbance in the sky. The HITS signals are never affected by any such climatic disturbance because these digital signals travel on the same C-Band satellite and same cable networks being in use.

JAIN HITS New Generation Network and its Set Top Box will have special provisions to turn into a hybrid platform providing both broadcasting as wells as broadband Internet services. At a time when we are moving from analog to digital, we must anticipate that the future of broadcast reception lies in its integration with broadband Internet. Hybrid platforms will be able to provide many Value Added Services(VAS) including Voice Over Internet Protocol( VOIP) and the day is not far that today’s Cable Operator shall be providing through his Local Area Network (LAN) Triple Play (Voice, Data &Video) services. The HITS operator will provide all necessary support, supervision and leadership to interconnect with other networks and thus convert local area networks into Wide Area Networks (WAN) by implementing the “Connect and Collaborate” policy.

Therefore, instead of investing our energies and money in building multiple digital Headends, stakeholders should join hands and turn HITS partnership into a Federation of Cable Operators that will jointly create India’s Unique New Generation Network to carry Entertainment, Education and Information from anywhere to anywhere. Let HITS Federation of Cable Operators thus lead India to a Cheerful Revolution.

The promoters of JAIN HITS believe that the splendid achievements of practical energy and technical skills of Small and Medium size Cable Operators can be channelized by organizing them through the federation of Cable Operators to transform the face of material civilization. Therefore, the central theme of the approach adopted by the Promoters of JAINHITS obviously favors the policy of saving and supporting the struggle and growth of medium and small Cable Operators.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/cable-news/item/325-jain-tv-group-announces-the-launch-of-headend-in-the-sky-hits-project.html
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/cable-news/item/325-jain-tv-group-announces-the-launch-of-headend-in-the-sky-hits-project.html