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Tag: cable TV homes

  • Cisco Video Technologies India bullish on growth in phase III & IV of cable TV digitisation

    Cisco Video Technologies India bullish on growth in phase III & IV of cable TV digitisation

    KOLKATA: Cisco Video Technologies India, an information technology (IT) company, which had garnered a market share of around 51 per cent in the first two phases where more than 40 million cable TV homes were digitised in India, is looking at achieving the same market share in the remaining phases of digitisation, i.e. phase III and IV, which is mandated to be completed by end of December 2016.

     

    The company is bullish on growth from the Indian cable TV digitisation market, said a company official in Kolkata.

     

    Talking about the trends of digitisation taking place in phase III and IV, which includes rural places and non-metro locations, an official from the US-based technology major said that there are certain pockets in the country, which are looking for high end services and are not just eager to install set top boxes (STBs).

     

    Speaking on the sidelines of the Cable TV Show 2015 in Kolkata, Cisco senior product manager Aunindo Ghosh said, “In the next two phases there is a requirement of 75 million homes to be digitised and if not more, we will aim to maintain the same market share of around 51 per cent.”

     

    Also, with the demand of digitisation coming from municipal and rural areas in the phase III and IV across the country, the headend market is redefining itself in India. Cisco, in order to cater to these two phases, has done several innovations to enhance the consumer experience.

     

    Cisco Videoscape transforms the video technologies around the world by providing high-impact video experiences. “With Cisco Videoscape customers can not only compete, but have the potential to lead the market as it will help them to grow their business by attracting more revenue per user with spectacular video experiences. Cisco recognises that each market and subscriber base calls for different subscriber experiences and therefore, includes a range of end-to-end solutions,” said Ghosh.

     

    Highlighting the challenges in phase III and IV, Ghosh said that it would be a bit difficult for the company to spread awareness, while stressing on the fact that these phases are low ARPU markets.

     

    Talking about the phase I and II of digitisation of cable TV, he said those two phases were implemented in the right frame of mind. “The players adhered to the MIB rules. Phase I and II were well coordinated,” Ghosh said.

     

    Some of the clients of Cisco are Siticable, Hathway, Den, KCBPL-GTPL, and Patna-based Darsh among others. Cisco is also looking at offering its “Videoscape Express” – integrated services to cable TV operators by upgrading its existing networks.

  • Television needs to reposition as convergence source with digitisation

    Television needs to reposition as convergence source with digitisation

    MUMBAI: Digitisation of cable TV has provided television broadcasting industry an opportunity to reposition itself as a convergence source. The future is full of opportunities for everyone, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India member R K Arnold.

     

    Every stakeholder will benefit once the process of digitisation is complete. Thirty per cent of cable TV homes have been digitised in Phase I and Phase II.

     

    “There are (a total of) 100 million cable TV homes. Once all these homes are digitised, we will be able to provide broadband services,” said Arnold said in his keynote address at the CASBAA India Forum 2014.

     

    Arnold is confident of achieving 100 per cent digitisation in 2014 itself.

     

    Arnold also spoke on the Direct-to-Home (DTH) players. “While DTH has grown along with digitisation, they do not have two-way communication as required for broadband,” he said.

     

    The first two phases of digitization has brought the multi-system operators in direct contact with 30 million customers. “This makes it necessary that we are more customer oriented. We need to beef up customer service delivery, and that is a challenge,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar.

     

    According to Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) secretary general Shailesh Shah, deploying infrastructure is challenging but is doable. “For full digitisation, analogue switch offs are needed,” said Shah.

     

    Shah expects digitisation to be completed only by the middle or towards the end of 2015. Phase III of digitisation is mandated to be completed by the end of September 2014 and Phase IV by the end of December 2014.

     

    One of the biggest challenges for multi-system operators in achieving digitisation in phase III and phase IV is that they will need to reach cable TV homes in the smaller towns and villages, unlike in the top 42 cities in Phase I and Phase II where they already had substantial presence.

     

    “Connectivity is a huge challenge,” said Hathway’s Kumar.

     

    The MSOs have in all seeded 30 million Set Top Boxes (STBs) in phase I and phase II. “As a community, we have spent close to Rs 3,000 crore. When any industry makes such a huge investment, the repayment time is 4-5 years. We are trying to change the system, and it will not happen in a year or two,” informed Kumar.

     

    Turner International India south Asia MD Siddharth Jain feels broadcasters will have the fruits of digitisation only after a beginning is made for signing deals on the basis of per STB.

    “The broadcasters currently do not have the count of STBs. There needs to be complete transparency,” Jain said.

     

    The total funding needed for deploying STBs in phase III and IV is Rs 14,000 crore. “It is impossible to expect the MSOs to invest in both the STBs and optical fibre. The government has to help in this infrastructure,” said MyBox Technologies CEO Amit Kharabanda.

     

    To promote better content carriage in the rural areas, the government is implementing a National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project to connect all the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats.

     

    “When we had a meeting with the MSOs, we found several gaps. Now NOFN is planning to expand its network from the district level to the block level and then panchayats. If this happens, in the next 2 years, we will see different ways of carrying content,” said Ministry of Information & Broadcasting joint secretary-broadcasting Supriya Sahu.

     

    The industry stakeholders speaking at the CASBAA India Forum also suggested that for smooth completion of digitisation, phase III and phase IV digitization should not be taken up simultaneously.

  • Karnataka HC dismisses KSCOA petition, paves way for analogue cable switch-off

    Karnataka HC dismisses KSCOA petition, paves way for analogue cable switch-off

    BENGALURU: Analogue signals in Bengaluru and Mysore are set to be switched off as the Karnataka High Court today dismissed a petition filed by Karnataka State Cable TV Operators Association (KSCOA) seeking extension of deadline for implementing Digital Addressable System (DAS).

    The KSCOA petition was dismissed as the HC found no merits in the case. The cable operators association had contended that a large number of cable TV homes in Bengaluru and Mysore would go dark if DAS is implemented since there isn‘t enough supply of Set Top Boxes (STBs).

    Bengaluru and Mysore are part of 38 cities that were slated to go digital in Phase II of DAS. The deadline for switching off analogue signals was 1 April, however, an interim order passed by Karnataka HC saw the deadline getting dragged by a good two weeks.