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Tag: DAS

  • TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops

    TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is flexing its muscles. The telco regulator has taken about a dozen cable operators to a Delhi court for not providing details of subscribers of set-top boxes (STBs) to multi-system operators (MSO) which is necessary to ensure accountability in digitisation of cable TV services.

    The regulator has filed a complaint before chief metropolitan magistrate Vidya Prakash, saying that cable TV operators have not been complying with its regulations relating the government mandated digital addressable system (DAS). Under this, cable ops are supposed to attach a set top box to TV sets of their subscribers. And they have to provide customer details along with their choice of services, choice of channels and bouquets. But they have not been forwarding these to the MSO, the TV signals of which they are delivering to their subscribers. TRAI had ordered this to be the norm to ensure transparency and acccountability.

    The regulator had in May 2012 issued its standards of quality of services (Qos) which provides for connection, disconnection, transfer, shifting of the cable TV services, procedure for handling subscribers complaints and redressal, for obtaining/ supplying STBs, changing the position of channels, payment of bills and responsibilities of cable operators and MSOs for ensuring quality of service at the subscriber level.

    According to the QoS, cable ops had to mandatorily provide consumer information. But when it was getting updates about the spread of digitisation in phase I in the four metros, it discovered that some linked cable ops were shying away from providing relevant consumer details like total number of STBs seeded and operationalised, their choice of channels, bouquets and about subscribers. The TRAI also disclosed that the cable ops have failed to comply with its notices.

    Small cable ops have been having run-ins with the TRAI from time to time, fearing future survival in a scenario where the MSO ends up building a direct relationship with their subscribers.

  • Trai issues Tariff Orders for STBs/CPEs for DTH and cable TV operators

    Trai issues Tariff Orders for STBs/CPEs for DTH and cable TV operators

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) late last evening issued two tariff orders prescribing standard tariff package for set top boxes (STBs) for digital addressable cable TV systems (DAS) and Consumer Premises Equipments (CPEs) for Direct to Home (DTH) services. The prime objective of these tariff orders, TRAI says, is to ensure effective commercial interoperability.

    The said tariff orders have been devised to make available STBs / CPEs at a reasonable price and, lucid and easy to understand, terms and conditions as well as to take care of the interests of the service providers. This would also promote healthy competition amongst the operators which would ultimately benefit all the stakeholders of the sector, including the consumers.The standard tariff packages for STB/CPE on rental basis are to be offered mandatorily by DTH and cable TV operators.

    As per the two tariff orders issued and notified on 27 May, cable TV operators and DTH service providers will be in a position to provide four options to consumers with differing rental and security deposit plans. DAS service providers can provide the STBs at a monthly rent of Rs 55.66 or Rs 50.66 (excluding taxes) if the security deposit is Rs 400 and Rs 800 respecitvely. For DTH service providers, the monthly rent for the CPE has been mandated at Rs 71.75 and Rs 65.50 if the security deposit is Rs 500 and Rs 1000 respectively.

    The entire security deposit will be refunded to subscribers at the end of three years and the STB or CPE will belong to the customer. Should the customer choose to clip the service earlier under these options, he will still get the entire STB security depost refunded.

    The tariff orders have also given options where the security depost is adjustable against the monthly rent. Thus DAS service providers can offer the STBs at a monthly adjustable rent of Rs 46.80 or Rs 32.93 if the security deposit is Rs 400 and Rs 800 respectively. And DTH service providers can provide STBs at a monthly adjustable rent of Rs 60.66 and Rs 43.32 if the security deposit is Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Under these options, should the customer choose to exit the DTH or CAS service, he will be entitled to a refund depending on the month he is discontinuing the service.

    For instance, if he moves out in month twelfth of year one of the Rs 500 adjustable security deposit plan for DTH, he will be entitled to get a refund of Rs 370.18. If the exit takes place in month 24 the refund amount has been drawn up to be Rs 192.05.The TRAI has similarly drawn up tables which clearly spell out how much the refund would be. The two orders which clearly explain this are called The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable) Services Sixth – (The Direct to Home Services) Tariff order 2013 and The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable)Fifth – (Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems) Tariff Order 2013 TARIFF ORDER, 2013 and have been made available on the TRAI web site trai.gov.in.

    To see the standard tariff plan for DTH Click Here

    To see the standard tariff plan for DAS Click Here

    The charges which have been mandated by TRAI include the installation fee, activation fee, smart card viewing charges, and repair and maintenance for three years.

    The regulator has said that, while these packages are mandatory, service providers can also make other offers to subscribers.It has also stated that these specific packages are prescribed for “plain vanilla STBs/CPEs” and not for the exotic ones with recorders and HD and 3D STBs.

    The Standard Tariff Package for Cable TV operators has been worked out on the basis of the following facts and figures as provided by the Industry stakeholders/ Associations:-

    a) The total cost of STB has been taken as Rs 1750.

    b) Life span of STB has been taken as three years.

    c) The residual value has been taken as nil.

    d) Rental per month is based on cost of STB on Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) Basis @15 per cent per annum (@1.25 per cent per month) for a period of 36 months.

    The Standard Tariff Package for DTH operators has been worked out on the basis of the following facts and figures as provided by Industry stakeholders/ Associations;

    a) The total cost of CPE has been taken as Rs 2250.

    b) Life span of CPE has been taken as three years.

    c) The residual value has been taken as nil.

    d) Rental per month is based on cost of CPE on Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) Basis @15 per cent per annum (@1.25 per cent per month) for a period of 36 months.

    In case of un-installation/discontinuance of service before the last day of the month, balance security deposit shown as refundable at the end of that month will be refunded on return of Customer Premises Equipment.

    No installation charges or re-installation charges (except in case of shifting of connection) or activation charges or smartcard/ viewing card charges is to be levied by the DTH operator/or DAS service provider on the subscriber.

  • Kolkata MSOs asked not to switch off any TV channel till panchayat polls are over

    Kolkata MSOs asked not to switch off any TV channel till panchayat polls are over

    NEW DELHI: The West Bengal government has directed multi-system operators to maintain status quo with regard to charges relating to digital access system (DAS) till the upcoming panchayat elections in the state, which should come to an end by 15 July.

    The state municipal affairs and urban development minister Firhad Hakkim directed MSOs not to switch off any channel during this period, without consulting the cable operators.

    The minister said this during a meeting yesterday evening with a delegation of the cable operators sangram committe and chief executive officer Soumen Roy Chowdhary and Surendra Agarwal of Indian Cable Net Company Ltd, a unit of Siti Cable.

    Ratan Jaiswal who represents the sangram committee of the LCOs told indiantelevision.com that this follows an agitation against the MSOs for failing to set proper rates and bouquets for the consumer.

    He said the MSOs were charging Rs 70 apart from service tax and other charges amounting to another Rs 20 for every set top box installed, which the LCOs feel is illegal as there is no provision by the telecom regulatory authority of India in this connection. In any case, such a charge can only be levied on the consumer.

    Even though the revenue share between the LCO s and MSOs is not clear and the packages being offered to the consumers are vague with no agreements having been signed, the LCOs say that Siti Cable and Indian Cable Network Company Ltd have sought help from the police which has imposed Section 144 for restricting entry of LCOs.

    While the number of digital STBs installed at present is around 90 per cent in Kolkata, less than forty per cent of agreements relating to billing etc have been signed.

  • LCOs on the warpath in Kolkata, allege MSOs not playing fair in DAS

    LCOs on the warpath in Kolkata, allege MSOs not playing fair in DAS

    NEW DELHI: Cable TV operators in Kolkata have launched an agitation against the multi-system operators (MSOs) and broadcasters for failing to set proper rates and bouquets for the consumer.

    A representative of the operators told indiantelevision.com in Kolkata that the state government had added a further complication by levying a charge of Rs 70 as service tax for every set top box installed which the LCOs feel is illegal.

    The LCOs have sought a meeting with the State finance [Click and drag to move] minister in Kolkata in this connection.

    Even though the revenue share between the LCOs and MSOs is not clear and the packages being offered to the consumers are vague with no agreements having been signed, the LCOs say that Siti Cable and Indian Cable Network Company Ltd have sought help from the police which has imposed Section 144 for restricting entry of LCOs.

    Ratan Jaiswal who represents the Sangram Committee of the LCOs told indiantelevision.com that the number of digital STBs installed at present was less than forty per cent in the eastern metropolis.

  • Trai likely to issue consultation paper on TV channel aggregators

    Trai likely to issue consultation paper on TV channel aggregators

    NEW DELHI: Telecom regulatory authority of India (Trai) chairman Rahul Khullar today indicated that a consultation paper would be issued shortly about the revenue sharing and other issues related to television channel aggregators under the digital addressable system (DAS).

     

    He assured the cable operators present that the meet was on media ownership and he would meet the LCOs separately on their problems.

     

    As expected, the open house on media ownership where he made the announcement turned out to be a general meet of sorts, with cable operators turning up in great numbers to seek answers to questions facing them including those relating to billing and the consumers refusing to pay the high fee, revenue sharing with MSOs and other issues.

     

    Trai had alerted the police in this regard and restricted entry, and the venue saw the presence of a large number of police personnel.

     

    Trai has already directed the pay broadcasters/aggregators and MSOs to produce in writing the terms and conditions of their interconnection agreements with MSOs or other service providers wherever they are providing cable television services through DAS.

     

    Trai had noted that there has been a hue and cry over the last month. And the broadcasters and MSOs have been extremely slothful in signing channel agreements with each other. The regulator took note of this and asked all of them to furnish the names of the MSO or the service provider with whom the interconnection agreement has been entered into along with the service area covered and the validity period of the said agreement by the week beginning 13 May.

     

    It is expected that the consultation paper would be based on the responses received from broadcasters and aggregators by Trai.

     

  • Trai Open House on media ownership called off as LCOs, MSOs raise demands on DAS

    Trai Open House on media ownership called off as LCOs, MSOs raise demands on DAS

    NEW DELHI: An open house called by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in Hyderabad on media ownership had to be called off mid-way when cable operators and multi-system operators insisted that they should be heard on their problems relating to digitisation.

    Around 200 LCOs and MSOs wanted an end to the vertical monopoly of large media houses and sought protection from the Government.

    They also raised issues relating to revenue share not being fair, and said it was the LCOs who had built the industry from scratch and made it possible for the broadcasters to reach the consumers.

    They also wanted the bouquets drawn up by large broadcasting houses to be broken and rates to be fixed channel-wise.

    Some LCOs said the customer had become like a ‘robot‘ that could be manipulated by the broadcasters.

    Some of the speakers also said the LCOs had built the industry without foreign direct investment (FDI), and therefore any discussion on FDI was meaningless unless their questions were answered.

    The Trai delegation included principal advisors N Parameshwaran and Anuradha Mitra, deputy advisor G S Kesarwani, and secretary Rajeev Agrawal.

    Trai officials had come armed with just over thirty questions relating to media ownership issues on which it has already issued a consultation paper. Less than twenty were discussed.

  • TRAI orders MSOs and payTV b’casters to file interconnect agreements

    TRAI orders MSOs and payTV b’casters to file interconnect agreements

    NEW DELHI: There has been a hue and cry over the last month or so that broadcasters and MSOs have been extremely slothful in signing channel agreements with each other. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has taken note of this and asked all of them to furnish the names of the MSO or the service provider with whom the interconnection agreement has been entered into along with the service area covered and the validity period of the said agreement by the week beginning 13 May.

    The directives were sent individually to all pay broadcasters/ aggregators and MSOs on 6 May.

    TRAI has also directed the pay broadcasters/aggregators and MSOs to produce in writing the terms and conditions of their interconnection agreements with MSOs or other service providers wherever they are is providing cable television services through digital addressable systems (DAS).

    The direction has been sent under section 13, read with sub-clauses (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 11 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act 1997 for implementation of Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems.

    Regulation 5(3) of the regulations provides that every broadcaster has to, within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of request from the multi system operator, enter into an interconnection agreement or modify the existing interconnect agreement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Reference Interconnect Offer published under these regulations or as may be mutually agreed.

    Regulation 5(6) provides that it shall be mandatory for the broadcasters of pay channels to reduce the terms and conditions of the interconnection agreements into writing; and Regulation 5(7) provides that no broadcaster of pay channels shall make available signals of TV channels to any multi system operator without entering into a written interconnection agreement.

    Prior to this notice, TRAI had held meetings with broadcasters and MSOs on 22 March, 2 April, 12 April and 18 April on issues relating to implementation of the phase II of implementation of DAS systems wherein the broadcasters and MSOs were asked to expedite the signing of interconnection agreements and submission of the information of the same to the Authority.

  • SC admits LCOs plea against Tdsat’s DAS order

    SC admits LCOs plea against Tdsat’s DAS order

    NEW DELHI: The supreme court today admitted for hearing an appeal by united cable operators welfare association (Ucowa) challenging the revenue sharing model under the digital addressable system (DAS) for cable television.

    Chief justice Altamis Kabir, justice Vikramjit Sen and justice S A Bobde also issued notice to the telecom regulatory authority of India (Trai) and the information & broadcasting ministry.

    The court also decided to list for hearing this appeal along with the appeals filed earlier by Incable and Digicable.

    All the three appeals are against the judgment of the telecom disputes settlement and appellate tribunal (Tdsat) of 19 October last year.

    In its petition, the Ucowa said the tariff order and regulations were aimed at helping the television broadcasters and the direct-to-home platforms.

    They said it was also clear that the channels were deliberately not revealing their retail tariff per channel.

    The counsel stressed that they were not opposed to introduction of digital DAS but some infirmities had to be corrected.

    The LCOs had failed to get any relief from Tdsat on their plea that the revenue sharing pattern of 55:45 on the basic service tier (free to air television channels) of Rs 100 and 65:35 on the upper tier of Rs 150 (combination of FTA and pay channels), and their appeals were dismissed.

    The appeals by the MSOs had been filed against the unfair fixation of the wholesale rate the price broadcasters can charge of channels for DAS at not more than 42 percent of the non-Cas area rate. The MSOs are concerned about the rate that would be fixed after DAS is implemented countrywide (by December 2014).

  • Triumphant I&B sec Varma says Phase II digitisation 99% complete

    Triumphant I&B sec Varma says Phase II digitisation 99% complete

    NEW DELHI: Information & braodcasting ministry secretary Uday Kumar Varma – along with his ministerial team – has almost singlehandedly been working on aggregating and consolidating India‘s fragmented cable TV sector by pressing the digitisation accelerator and pushing the members of the ecosystem to forge ahead no matter what.

    His touch stance seems to be working if one goes by the numbers that he announced today. Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Varma stated that almost 99 per cent digitisation had been achieved in the 38 cities that were part of Phase II of Digital Addressable System (DAS) for cable television.

    Addressing a meeting of nodal officers from different states yesterday, Varma expressed satisfaction at the work being done by the additional secretary C Viswanath, joint secretary (broadcasting) Supriya Sahu and other senior officials.

    Varma also asked the nodal officers to send show cause notices to all MSOs who had still not switched off analogue signals.

    The nodal officers generally expressed satisfaction with the cooperation they received from stakeholders.