Category: Technology

NEW DELHI: Much in keeping with the demands of both MSOs and DTH operators, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has taken the first step towards rolling out mandatory Cas in the entire area of the three main metros, issuing a letter seeking various inputs from MSOs.

Trai has asked them to fill up a proforma with detailed responses to various issues that need to be looked into before deciding whether Cas should be extended at one go or in phases in the remaining parts of the three metros.

Trai has written a letter to the MSOs (a copy of which is with Indiantelevision.com) calling for a meeting on 5 April in New Delhi, for “assessing (MSOs‘) state of preparedness in the case of extension of Conditional Access System to other parts of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.”

The MSOs, to say the least, are delighted, saying that rolling out Cas would infuse the much needed spirit in their business and would address the issue of residents of the same city getting discriminatory pricing for viewing cable television.

The two major issue that Trai has urged MSOs to work on are:

* Whether Cas may be extended to the remaining areas of the three metros at one go or in phases; and

* What should be the time frame for the various activities that need to be undertaken.

Trai has raised specific issues in its letter.

Among them is the issue of time required by MSOs to apply to the I&B Ministry for permission under Rule 11 (2) of amended Cable Rules (presently, a time period of 30 days is permitted under the Rules).

Trai has also asked about the time required by MSOs for setting up physical infrastructure such as digital head-end (if digital transmission is preferred), encryption system (Cas), subscriber management system (SMS), laying cables wherever required, etc;

The MSOs have so far seeded 500,000 STBs in the Cas areas of the three metros and say they have in hand another 185,000 ready to be seeded.

If Cas is extended, this would be nowhere near sufficient, hence Trai has asked them about the time required for procurement of set top boxes in sufficient numbers; as well as time needed for conclusion of interconnection agreements with broadcasters on one hand and with local cable operators on the other.

Some MSOs have argued that the broadcasters and MSOs should be allowed to come to negotiated terms between themselves, failing which Trai could step in to do what is needed.

Trai also wants to know for how long a public awareness campaign would be conducted by the MSOs.

MSOs have been also asked to respond on the issue of how much time should be allowed for inviting applications for STBs from subscribers and how much time would be required for installation of boxes?

“Should these two activities be simultaneous or one after the other?” Trai has queried.

It has added: “How long should the “trial period” (a period of transition) be prior to complete roll out of Cas?”

The letter reminds the MSOs that in the present Cas rollout exercise, a transition period of 15 days had been allowed when pay channels had to be compulsorily transmitted both in encrypted and unencrypted manner.

Expectedly, MSOs and cable operators are delighted. They see this as a concrete move towards extension of Cas to other parts of the city, and point out to one aspect of the letter: Trai has not asked if Cas should be extended, but whether it should be done at one go or in phases.

Arvind Mohan, MSO Alliance secretary told Indiantelevision.com: “This is a positive step forward after Trai had just recently taken us into confidence regarding the extension of Cas. We had all stressed voluntary Cas would not work. Even the DTH players support this.”

The letter to the MSOs, which has been signed by Deputy Advisor PK Ravi, says, “You are requested to make it convenient to attend the meeting. The meeting will be held in Kautilya Hall, Samrat Hotel, New Delhi at 3 pm on 5th April 2007.”

The annexure to the letter, which gives the format for response, says that of the inputs from the MSOs, the following would be kept confidential with Trai:

* Number of Cable operators affiliated to the MSO in the notified areas (separately for each of the metros);

* Number of households served: a) directly by the MSO b) through the cable operators; and

* Expected level of demand for STBs.

Incidentally, Kotak in its latest report on the DTH sector, had predicted that mandatory Cas extension would hasten the growth of the sector, as people would be forced to choose between one of the other addressable systems, Cas or DTH.

Mohan also said that this is a laudable effort on the part of the government to extend addressability and give the consumers genuine choice, and this will also ensure greater transparency, ensuring higher revenue for the government.

MUMBAI: Online search major Yahoo! has expanded the reach of the new Yahoo! oneSearch service to the Mobile Web in the US.

Yahoo! oneSearch reinvents search to give consumers exactly what they want on their mobile device – instant answers. The innovative search service that initially launched in Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 is now accessible on more than 85 per cent of mobile phones through the mobile Web and is also available through the gamma version of Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0.

The service leverages Yahoo!‘s experience, investment and expertise in search on the desktop as well as relationships with leading content providers to deliver an un-matched search experience to consumers.

Yahoo! senior VP connected life Marco Boerries says, “Yahoo! oneSearch has already started to change the mobile search game by fundamentally improving the way consumers‘ access and use the Internet on their mobile phones. Consumers that have tried oneSearch love it, telling us it‘s easier and more helpful than any other mobile search services they‘ve used. We are delivering the results consumers want with just one search, not a list of Web links.”

Yahoo! oneSearch is aimed at making searching for and finding information as quick as possible for consumers by providing relevant results right on the page such as news headlines, images, business listings and more as well as easy navigation to other websites. For example, if a consumer wants to go to a movie this weekend, they just need to type the name of the movie into the search box.

The search results would first list the movie, including a user rating, local theaters the movie is playing at, news headlines related to the movie and more. To dig more deeply into the results, a consumer would simply need to click on any item or category. For example, to see all the movies playing at a specific listed theater, just click on the theater name.

Yahoo! oneSearch on Yahoo!‘s Mobile Web site has sponsored search results and display advertisements built into the experience, further extending the reach of Yahoo!‘s advertising services to the mobile environment and enabling advertisers to reach consumers on their mobile devices across major mobile operators. Consumers can click on an ad to go to the advertisers‘ mobile web site or a landing page to get more information about the advertisers‘ offerings, including the ability to call the advertiser.

MUMBAI: UK media regulator Ofcom has announced that it will investigate the pay TV market. This includes obtaining information from market participants.

Ofcom had received a submission from BT, Setanta, Top Up TV, and Virgin Media, which asks it to investigate the pay TV industry and to consider whether to make a market reference to the Competition Commission under the Enterprise Act 2002.

Pay TV includes subscription and video-on-demand television services on all platforms: cable, digital terrestrial television (DTT), satellite and TV over DSL.

Ofcom will decide whether to make a market reference to the Competition Commission. Ofcom will also consider whether any concerns would be better addressed using sectoral powers or the Competition Act 1998.

Consumer groups including the Ofcom Consumer Panel and the National Consumer Council have also expressed concerns to Ofcom about one aspect of the pay TV market: the loss of BSkyB channels on Virgin Media’s pay TV platform.

Separately, BSkyB has announced a proposal to launch a new pay TV service on the DTT platform, based on new set-top box specifications. On receipt of a licence application, Ofcom would consult on whether to approve the licence variations needed for such a service. In the meantime, the implications of the possible entry of BSkyB into the pay DTT market, including impact on consumers and emerging competition, will be part of the market investigation.

The investigation will be concerned with features of the market, including control over content, ownership of distribution platforms, retail subscriber bases and vertical integration.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced specialised value Packs for its Mobile ESPN service in India. The specialised packs have been designed for the sports enthusiast in India and will provide customised packages for the regular updates on Cricket, International Soccer, English Premier League and Sports News in Voice and SMS formats.

Riding on the growing penetration of mobile telephony as well interest of the youth of India in varied sports specially cricket and soccer, Mobile ESPN is targeting 10 million subscribers by 2012. Mobile ESPN is currently available on Airtel, Hutch and BSNL networks. ESS had entered the mobile realm last year.

ESS head new media business Sricharan Iyengar said, “Mobile ESPN is targeted to be the home of sports for fans across India. Our mandate is to deliver the latest sports news, information updates, analysis and statistics to sports fans anytime, anywhere.

“There is a huge market to be tapped as there is a growing audience for sports like Soccer, Motosports and Tennis. Cricket still remains the most popular game in the country. With expertise and experience of ESPN, we are uniquely positioned to exploit this market. The launch of specialised value packs is a part of our strategy to provide sports‘ fans the latest information on their favourite sport, the way they want it”.

TThe newly launched packs are ‘EPL/ FA football SMS subscription pack‘, ‘International Football SMS pack‘, ‘Sportscenter News pack‘, ‘Cricket SMS pack‘, ‘Mobile ESPN Voice portal pack‘ and ‘Hatrick‘- a game based application on the Hindi movie of the same name.

The EPL/FA Football SMS subscription pack will offer regular news updates on the league to EPL fans. The service comes at a nominal charge of Rs 50 per month in which the users will get 22 SMS alerts every week related to the top 5 EPL clubs i.e. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle. The alerts will feature daily morning Football news headlines, match schedule on all match days, match summary after every match and EPL points table every Monday.

The International Football SMS pack available at Rs 50 per month will keep soccer fans updated on the latest from the arena of international football. The pack includes 23 SMS alerts every week related to the top 5 International clubs other than the ones in EPL i.e. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan. The alerts will include daily morning Football news headlines, match summary after every match and gossip from the International Football arena.

The Sportscenter News pack will keep the users updated on the latest news from the world of sports. The Sportcenter service is charged at Rs 30 per month and includes 2 SMS alerts daily- morning and evening- from the world of sports as they happen.

To be updated with the latest from the World of Cricket– from toss update to Man of the match, who‘s scoring the tons, fall of wickets, updates and expert analysis at regular interval, Mobile ESPN has launched the Cricket SMS Pack which will feature regular SMS alerts on every match covering toss update, regular match scores, fall of wickets alerts, and the match summary. It will also have a daily news headlines from the World of Cricket. This service is available at a nominal charge of Rs. 30 per month.

Mobile ESPN launched India‘s first dedicated sports service on voice on mobile. To begin with the service is available in English and Hindi. Mobile ESPN users have to dial 5053776 and listen to Off TV updates and analysis from cricket, reviews, previews and expert views on all the cricketing action across the globe; the Sportscenter News updated regularly throughout the day; Football news and scores from the EPL and all other international leagues. Call charges to 5053776 is at Rs.6 / min. Mobile ESPN voice services can also be availed on monthly subscription at a rental of Rs.99 / per month and call charges at 10p / min.

Easy to access, Mobile ESPN services can be availed by dialling 505-ESPN (3776) on the phone or by sending an SMS to (ESPN) 3776, which will be the ESPN short code nationally. On entering the voice portal, the consumers can select from a module comprising sections such as Welcome and user navigation; Cricket; Football; Sports center; and New Super Selector. A user friendly feature of Mobile ESPN is that while first time callers will listen to a longer introduction with detailed navigation instructions, repeat callers‘ introduction will be brief followed by navigation options.

MUMBAI: Telecom service provider Hutch has announced the first of its kind phone back up service for its customers. Hutch customers subscribing to this service no longer have to worry about losing their contacts and phone numbers if they lose their mobile phone.

This service will not only help Hutch customers save critical phone book data, but also preserve SMS, MMS, ringtones, games, photos, videos, etc and also help switch phones seamlessly plus restore data on a new phone and a lot more.

Hutch customers can take their phone back up in two ways – through GPRS enabled phones as well as through SMS on non-GPRS phones. Hutch customers need to SMS BACKUP to 52585 and receive a service message to activate and use this service.

Once installed, the application automatically backs up data from the customer’s phone to a server and the customer can access this data with the help of a username/ password generated by the application. This application is currently supported by 84 different GPRS enabled handsets. Details of the handsets can be got by logging on to www.hutch.in.

The Hutch Phone Back-up service works on all other non-GPRS phones through SMS. The cost of subscribing to the phone back-up is Rs.50/- per month for GPRS users, while it is Rs.30/- per month for non-GPRS users, who access this service through SMS. GPRS users can create a back-up for their phone book as well as SMS, MMS, ringtones, games, photos and videos etc., whereas non-GPRS users can only back up their phone book data.

When the customer switches to a new phone, they will just have to send Restore to 52585 and all the information on their contact numbers will be sent to the new handset. Hutch customers can additionally restore applications, tones, wallpapers, photos, videos etc. from the web interface. To unsubscribe from the service, Hutch customers will need to send UNSUB Backup to 52585 and the data will be deleted after being preserved for seven days. 52585 will be a toll-free number and customers will not have to incur any cost to send messages to this number.

Hutch marketing director Harit Nagpal said, “The facility that Hutch customers can now save critical phone data despite losing their handsets is a first in the industry. This service will offer tremendous convenience to our customers in situations where their handsets get lost or damaged, leading to loss of phone numbers, contact details and other critical data.”

MUMBAI: The global television trade event MipTV takes in place in Cannes, France next month.

It has announced the 25 finalists for the second edition of Content 360, the international competition to commission innovative, interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband.

TFor the second year, “Content 360,” is organised in partnership with the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and for the first time WPP’s OgilvyOne Worldwide and Yahoo!

The call for entries launched on January 8, 2007 and received an enthusiastic response from hundreds of international multimedia and application developers. A total of 450 projects from 36 countries were entered compared to 186 projects from 23 countries last year. 240 companies from countries like India, Mexico, Australia, Sweden, South Africa, US, France, Canada, Italy, South Korea, UK entered projects in this year’s competition.

Divided into eight categories, the 25 finalists will attend MIPTV featuring MILIA in April to promote their projects in the Content 360 Pavilion and during pitching sessions in the Conference Programme. The projects will be judged by panels of key digital commissioners, brands and industry experts.

The winners, revealed in Cannes on April 19, will share €100,000 in development funds pledged by the competition partners.

MUMBAI: Rainbow HD Holdings LLC (Voom HD), a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC and PCCW Ltd, IPTV multichannel video operator, have inked a carriage agreement to launch the Voom HD channel in Hong Kong, marking the channels entry into Asia.

Emerging as one of the first 24/7 high-definition channels in Asia, Voom HD offers the international marketplace a perspective on adventure travel, fashion, luxury lifestyle, art, live concerts, action sports and video gaming.

Voom HD‘s launch on PCCW, which was facilitated by Gang TV president Gregory Ang is also innovative in its bi-format roll-out strategy, allowing viewers to view the content both in standard definition (SD) beginning 18 April and in HD shortly thereafter. The channel will be subtitled in Chinese for both SD and HD offerings, informs an official release.

“Rainbow has produced a high-quality, industry-leading channel that is sure to resonate among our taste-making viewers,” said PCCW executive VP marketing and content development Janice Lee. “VOOM HD‘s content is spectacular and we look forward to being the first to bring it to Hong Kong.”

MUMBAI: Webaroo has launched a mobile software application that delivers fast, free and always-on access to web content on mobile phones throughout the world.

The software provides consumers a variety of content such as news, blogs, photos and emails on their mobile phones which they can access even when they‘re not connected to the network.

The application runs on most Java-enabled phones world-wide including models from Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and others. Data access must be enabled on the phones for the user to download and update the Webaroo application. Webaroo is free to consumers, apart from the data access fees charged by their carriers, states an official release.

“Webaroo‘s vision is to make web content available on all portable devices”, said Webaroo co-founder and CEO Rakesh Mathur. “We are excited to bring our vision to life now on most of the world‘s mobile phones, in addition to laptops and portable drives. This is a significant development as trends indicate that web usage on mobile phones will grow to be more than on other devices.”

Webaroo‘s technology uses the local phone memory to store snippets of content downloaded from the web. Since the content is stored locally, it is available all the time, even when network connectivity is weak or unavailable.

Webaroo is in discussions with mobile carriers and content publishers to integrate the Webaroo application into their services, thereby delivering a mobile web experience to consumers at the time they purchase their new phones.

MUMBAI: Google today announced the appointment of Shailesh Rao as managing director, sales and operations for Google India.

Based in New Delhi, Rao will manage Google‘s domestic business and strategic partnerships in India.

Prior to Google, Rao was vice-president of products for Yodlee managing all aspects of product and corporate development for Yodlee‘s core products and technology.

Rao has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania with Honors, a BS from the Wharton School with a concentration in finance, and an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management.

MUMBAI: Dish TV is planning to pump in Rs 10 billion over the next two and a half years as it wants to aggressively ramp up subscribers in a direct-to-home (DTH) market that is going to soon see new entrants.

The funding of Zee Group‘s demerged DTH business will be through a mix of debt and equity. “We are looking at a 30-40 per cent debt component. For equity, we are open to all options,” says Dish TV CEO Arun Kapoor.

DTH operators are sinking in big money as they subsidise costs to acquire customers. While Dish TV has already invested Rs 7 billion in the DTH business, Tata Sky has put in Rs 10 billion and plans to pump in an additional 20 billion.

Dish TV‘s net loss for FY06 was Rs 790 million on the back of subsidies and marketing expenses while revenue was at Rs 818 million. The company expects to end this fiscal on a turnover of Rs 1.7 billion and a net loss of Rs 1.5 billion.

Tata Sky has said that it would take 5-7 years to break even as it has to absorb the hardware and content subsidy. Dish TV, however, hopes to enjoy a cash break even situation by FY09 while operating margins, currently negative, are set to be at 26 per cent.

Dish TV expects to add 1.1 million subscribers in the next fiscal. The company has already touched 1.9 million subscribers, a little below its target of 2.3 million for the current fiscal. Tata Sky has mopped up half a million subscribers and says it is on course to achieve its target of 1 million customers in the first year of operations.

Dish TV‘s average revenue per user (ARPU), which was hovering around Rs 190, has jumped to Rs 230. The cost of content is about 65 per cent of the ARPU. “This will fall down to 45 per cent over the next two years,” says Kapoor.

Dish TV plans to get listed either on Monday or Wednesday next week, making it the first DTH company in India to be available on the bourses.

The DTH space will bring in new players like Kalanithi Maran‘s Sun Direct and Anil Ambani‘s Bluemagic this year. Telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited has also floated a wholly owned subsidiary, Bharti Telemedia, for its DTH service.