Cable Guys Concerned As Digital Deadline Looms Large

TV Broadcasters and multisystem operators (MSOs) are again in trouble. Gearing up to meet the March 31 deadline for mandatory switching from analogue to digital services in the National Capital Region and another 30- odd cities nationwide as part of the second phase, their concerns remain the same as digitisation in cities like Kolkata and Chennai has been partially successful.

The first phase of digitisation, which ended on December 31, 2012, covering the four metros, has been only been partially successful. Cable operators had sought a six- month extension beyond March 31 for the second phase but the information and broadcasting ministry has refused to defer the deadline as it wants to cover the entire country by March 31, 2015.

Roop Sharma, president, Cable Operators Federation of India, who had pressed for extension, said that set- top boxes are of inferior quality. “Set- top boxes available in the market are of low quality and do not have BIS ( Bureau of Indian Standards) star ratings. Cable services are not portable as well where customers are free to change their operator.” Sharma said.

MSOs like Hathway Cable, Den Networks, Datacom, Citicable, Digicable and Hinduja Group’s IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) are procuring set- top boxes but the suppliers are not able to meet the demand.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/digitization-news/item/1916-cable-guys-concerned-as-digital-deadline-looms-large.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/digitization-news/item/1916-cable-guys-concerned-as-digital-deadline-looms-large.html