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Category: SCaT

  • New technology simplifies collection for cable ops

    New technology simplifies collection for cable ops

    MUMBAI: Even as industry prepares for phase III of digitisation, here comes a technology that is likely to get more than a warm welcome from cable operators.

    UPASS, a front-end automation for the cable sector and mobility solutions provider, has announced that it has successfully integrated with the subscriber management system of Media Nucleus; a development set to change the collection system. While Kottayam-based Star Vision Cable Networks is the first LCO to use the integrated solution, Media Nucleus is in talks with three other operators for installing the solution to their systems.

    It was at the recently concluded SCaT that the collaboration took place. “We finished the integration and also showcased a part of it during SCaT,” informed Media Nucleus director Santosh Nair. He explained the working of the solution as: “Each subscriber will have an ID, subscriber number or name that will be stored in the subscriber database. Once the subscriber pays the monthly fees, the collection agent will type it on the mobile phone that has all the details relating to the package etc. Also, there is a Bluetooth printer connected to this device, which will help him print a receipt immediately.  The same data will also be sent to the database, which clears the subscriber’s outstanding amount.”

    Technically speaking, UPASS’s cloud model acts as data bridge between the mobile device and the SMS server. There is an option for collection entries to be made either in cash or cheque and the relevant data is passed on to the SMS server in real-time.

    UPASS managing director Ravindra Deshmukh said: “We are excited that Media Nucleus and UPASS are collaborating to help operators overcome the challenges of billing and collection hurdles by providing data in real-time as trusted and actionable information. Our system benefits end users quickly and with self-service, regardless of data volumes and variety, or whether the data is on-premise or in the cloud.”

    The advantages of the solution are three-fold. One, it will make the collection process easier. Two, it will make the system more transparent and help MSOs with instant data on subscribers and revenue collected per day. Three, it is more economical, since it can be used even on a simple Rs 500 mobile phone.

    Nair said every operator had collection issues and with this system in place, “MSOs will just have to follow up on the data. They will get instant information, unlike earlier, when LCOs would collect data and sometimes, not even reveal it. The information will give an upper hand to MSOs as well, who can show it to their investors.”

    The new solution will help both the MSOs and LCOs by making collection easier, says Santosh Nair

    Explained Media Nucleus director technology and delivery Rajiv Tomer: “We had been providing the core solution of subscriber management solution and were looking at integration services to enable collection at the ground level become a part of our solution to our clients.  UPASS, having an industry benchmark solution, gave us the right option to be a go-to-market, providing end-to-end technology with a single integrated platform. We have enabled it in such a way that operators can provide the basic handset to the collection agents, which gets integrated with our SMS.”

    The solution will be available to operators at a one-time investment of Rs 2500. This apart, “the operator will have to pay less than Re 1 per transaction per month,” informed Nair, adding, “We will be meeting operators from Pune next week. We have been getting a good response for the technology.”

    Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation president Arvind Prabhoo said the technology would address the biggest problem of digitisation, which is collection. “The cost of collection for the operator is approximately Rs 25. Also, there is a huge process involved with it- right from collecting money from each subscriber to putting the data on computer etc. The solution will reduce this burden and make the system more transparent.”

    “Rs 2500 is just 10 customers for an operator, so it is very economical for them. Also, getting two-three handhelds will also reduce their burden. As for the MSO, they have for long wanted a transparent system, which they can achieve through this,” Prabhoo said.

    The UPASS solution claims that it provides customer data capture and STB activation in real time, channel/package activation from the LMO phone as well.

  • It’s a SCaT man’s world!

    It’s a SCaT man’s world!

    MUMBAI: The SCaT (Satellite and Cable TV) trade show in its 22nd year took place at the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade here over the weekend between 25 and 27 October. The show received a great response with all the stalls sold out. The show was buzzing with energy and enthusiasm.

    “I feel like a kid in a candy shop, I am really spoilt for choice. I would love to check out all the new products and try out a few,” said one of the visitors.

    According to the organisers, they had to take additional hall space to cater to the higher demand from exhibitors. It was deliberately held over a weekend to make it convenient for outstation visitors and the number of registrations clearly out did the previous years on both days. Several operators from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh attended in groups and of course from all over India too.

    The show attracts visitors to review and purchase products from over 150 companies and brands, not only from India but worldwide. Over 40 international companies participated in the show this time around. The focus of SCaT 2013 was to showcase attractively priced digital headend products to meet the needs of smaller cable TV networks looking to migrate to digital cable TV within a year.

    In fact, the entire idea to hold the exhibition is to make work easier for the people in the industry, say the organisers, who also come out with a monthly magazine, SCaT. “We launched the magazine in 1993 and it was the first trade publication catering to the satellite and cable TV industry in the south-Asian region. Simultaneously, we also started organising the SCaT Trade show for which we got huge appreciation,” says SCaT Media & Consultancy publisher and MD Sudeep Malhotra.

    According to Malhotra, the entire idea was to cash in on the growing cable TV industry, which was at a nascent stage at that time. “There was a big barrier between the manufacturers of cable TV products and the cable operators who were the buyers. They could only connect through the shopkeepers, who at times were not really helpful. So, if an operator was looking for an amplifier, he would be supplied only those products that was available at the shops. He may not even be aware of the better products that are being manufactured,” says Sudeep, who with the magazine and the trade show wanted to bridge that gap.

    The organisers hosted the first show in February 1993 and had just nine companies on board. In the same year in October, the show had 30 companies participating which was a huge jump for the organisers. “Over the years, we have been growing at a rate of almost 20 to 30 per cent. Now, we have 156 companies on board, with participation of about 21 countries,” says Malhotra, also adding that they have special permissions from the government to get the products from other countries.

    The footfall has increased considerably too – from 300 people in the first show over three days to almost 18,000 in the present show. “We have visitors not just from India but from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc as well. We also have cable associations visiting the show in groups of 100, 200 from various states in India,” says Malhotra.

    The exhibition was spread across two buildings and witnessed a great response in terms of visitors. The show had a great mix of companies varying from those providing headend equipments to those providing end to end solutions. There was also a prominent presence of news channels like Captain TV (Chennai) and Channel News Asia (Singapore).

    Satellite & Cable TV Magazine editor and executive publisher Dinyar Contractor expounded, “We hold this exhibition annually to let the industry get together under one roof and explore the new products that are available or will soon be available in the market. We at SCaT believe that the opportunities are manifold at this show and the industry can benefit at large.”

    With the DAS rollout and impending phase III and IV implementation, the focus was but naturally on affordable digital headends and STBs which are cost efficient for small networks of the smaller towns that are not MSO dominated. Like always, it was the Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers who dominated. Interestingly, the key Indian hardware companies like Catvision, Channel Master, Saibaba Electronics among others had all tied up with international manufacturers and were offering complete end to end DAS solutions. 

    “While clearly the focus was on hardware, the middleware and software vendors offering value added services, SMS and billing integration were yet to see significant traction. Also on display was the sole HITS service provider JainHits offering complete services including content, having recently won his legal case against the aggregator/distributors,” said media analyst Sanjeev Hiremath.

    One of the products that caught everyone’s attention was the Android OTT IP-STBs – these are set top boxes that function on an Android 4.0 and can be easily synced with any device – which can enable internet surfing, listening to online music via WiFi or Ethernet interface. The STB also supports Live TV watching and VoD if the user has an account with the solution provider.

    Another attraction at the event was Gaian Solutions’ new product through which cable operators and DTH players can now customise the advertisements being aired not only within states, but also within the city limit. “The new technology helps you to air different ads at the same time. So if in south Mumbai, a consumer will see a Mercedes ad on TV during a programme, another consumer in other part of the city can watch a different ad, according to the need of the market,” informed Gaian Solutions director-operations Mrigesh Gaurav.

    The lobby of the Taj Vivanta President where most of the participants stayed was also a meeting place for networking and also became the hotspot for the trade party on the penultimate day.

    All in all, it was an exciting and eventful three days of knowledge enhancement, serious business and networking.