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Tag: DTH

  • No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had so far failed to come out with specifications with regard to interoperability of STBs (set-top boxes) meant for DTH (direct-to-home) platforms.

    An information and broadcasting ministry source was answering a question by indiantelevision.com in response to a reply in the Parliament given by the minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore.

    The minister had said the ministry had accepted recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that it should work with the BIS and the Department of Electronics and IT to ensure such set-top boxes.

    TRAI, in July 2014, on “Issues relating to New DTH Licenses” said: “The Open Architecture (Non-proprietary) Set Top Box (STB), which will ensure technical compatibility and effective interoperability among different DTH service providers, shall have such specifications as laid down by the Government from time to time” with “The Set Top Box offered by a DTH service provider shall have such specifications as laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) from time to time.”

    TRAI recommended that BIS should come out with updated specifications for STBs from time to time and while doing so, BIS will consult TRAI and that the license conditions should mandate the licensee to comply with the tariff order/scheme prescribed by TRAI for commercial interoperability.

    In the paper, the Authority had said that STB interoperability was not possible because of the different technologies adopted by the operators due to them entering the market at different times. TRAI thus asked the BIS to regularly keep updating the standard of STB technology.

    Then I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar had told the Parliament on 24 July 2014 that the interoperability of DTH customer premises equipment has not so far proved to be effective due to various techno-economic reasons. The interoperability had been envisaged in the DTH licence conditions, he said.

    The portability in DTH service can be achieved through technical interoperability or through commercial interoperability.

  • DTH-aiding GSAT-19 launch plan under way

    DTH-aiding GSAT-19 launch plan under way

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation is working towards putting into orbit an indigenous communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3.3 tonne and carrying Ka/Ku band payloads. Ku Band is suitable for direct-to-home platforms.

    The satellite assembly is in an advanced stage, the space minister Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

    Meanwhile, the launch campaign for the first developmental flight of GSLV Mk-III commenced on 29 September 2016 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

    ISRO is working towards increasing the payload capacity of GSLV Mk-III beyond four tonnes in the coming years. The strategies identified to achieve the increased payload capacity include performance improvement of propulsion systems, inert mass optimisation and miniaturisation of avionics system.

    The Chandrayaan-2, comprising Orbiter, Lander and Rover, with a total payload mass of 3250 kg is planned to be launched on board GSLV Mk-II during the first quarter of 2018.

    Also read:

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/satellites/satellite-launches/isro-to-launch-83-satellites-on-single-rocket-create-world-record-161029

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/satellites/satellite-launches/gsat-18-successfully-launches-new-capacity-for-dth-operators-tv-channels-161006

  • DTH-aiding GSAT-19 launch plan under way

    DTH-aiding GSAT-19 launch plan under way

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation is working towards putting into orbit an indigenous communication satellite GSAT-19, weighing 3.3 tonne and carrying Ka/Ku band payloads. Ku Band is suitable for direct-to-home platforms.

    The satellite assembly is in an advanced stage, the space minister Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

    Meanwhile, the launch campaign for the first developmental flight of GSLV Mk-III commenced on 29 September 2016 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

    ISRO is working towards increasing the payload capacity of GSLV Mk-III beyond four tonnes in the coming years. The strategies identified to achieve the increased payload capacity include performance improvement of propulsion systems, inert mass optimisation and miniaturisation of avionics system.

    The Chandrayaan-2, comprising Orbiter, Lander and Rover, with a total payload mass of 3250 kg is planned to be launched on board GSLV Mk-II during the first quarter of 2018.

    Also read:

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/satellites/satellite-launches/isro-to-launch-83-satellites-on-single-rocket-create-world-record-161029

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/satellites/satellite-launches/gsat-18-successfully-launches-new-capacity-for-dth-operators-tv-channels-161006

  • Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    MUMBAI: Cable operators have suspended their services in different areas of Pakistan after unfruitful dialogue with the government on the postponement of Direct-To-Home (DTH) licences to be auctioned tomorrow.

    Around three million consumers use Indian DTH, and the government plans to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India. Estimates of DTH users range from 70,000 to 2.5 million with most of them concentrated in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.

    Cable services in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Gujarat and Multan have been suspended. In Balochistan’s capital Quetta, however, cable TV was still running, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    Pakistan’s Senate panel on information, broadcasting and national heritage has asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to proceed with its decision to launch an indigenous Direct to Home (DTH) television system.

    Opposing the move, operators started suspending their services in various parts following their complete strike call from Monday evening. Cable Operators’ Association staged a protest at the press club announcing closure of the services.

    The Senate meeting, chaired by senator Kamil Ali Agha, was informed by PEMRA chairman Absar Alam that it held successful meeting with the operators and decided that Pakistani DTH would be launched in November 2017 giving them time for system upgradation. Still, they announced shutdown of cable, he added.

    Alam said that operators had no problem with illegal Indian DTH and demanded to lift ban on Indian content. But, they want the PEMRA DTH plan abolished which was unconvincing. Alam said PEMRA had taken concrete steps to stop Indian content and Indian movies on the cable.

    Earlier, finance minister Ishaq Dar reportedly refused to agree to operators’ demand and decided that the DTH auction will be held as per schedule on Wednesday. The successful bidder however would start its operation from November next year.

    Not budging from their positions, operators are now likely to go on strike for an indefinite period. Cable Operators Association chairman Khalid Arain, on 15 November, said that DTH launch was not justified since the cable operators invested billions in converting the analogue cable system into the digital one. Arain said they needed at least three years to create awareness among the people about cable digitalisation.

    Unlike the analogue connections, DTH service is a digital platform that transfers channels directly into homes from satellite through small dish antennas. The service is reliable and allows consumers to view high-definition video. The quality of channels at the end on the bandwidth does not diminish such as those on cable.

    Also read

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

     

  • Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    MUMBAI: Cable operators have suspended their services in different areas of Pakistan after unfruitful dialogue with the government on the postponement of Direct-To-Home (DTH) licences to be auctioned tomorrow.

    Around three million consumers use Indian DTH, and the government plans to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India. Estimates of DTH users range from 70,000 to 2.5 million with most of them concentrated in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.

    Cable services in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Gujarat and Multan have been suspended. In Balochistan’s capital Quetta, however, cable TV was still running, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    Pakistan’s Senate panel on information, broadcasting and national heritage has asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to proceed with its decision to launch an indigenous Direct to Home (DTH) television system.

    Opposing the move, operators started suspending their services in various parts following their complete strike call from Monday evening. Cable Operators’ Association staged a protest at the press club announcing closure of the services.

    The Senate meeting, chaired by senator Kamil Ali Agha, was informed by PEMRA chairman Absar Alam that it held successful meeting with the operators and decided that Pakistani DTH would be launched in November 2017 giving them time for system upgradation. Still, they announced shutdown of cable, he added.

    Alam said that operators had no problem with illegal Indian DTH and demanded to lift ban on Indian content. But, they want the PEMRA DTH plan abolished which was unconvincing. Alam said PEMRA had taken concrete steps to stop Indian content and Indian movies on the cable.

    Earlier, finance minister Ishaq Dar reportedly refused to agree to operators’ demand and decided that the DTH auction will be held as per schedule on Wednesday. The successful bidder however would start its operation from November next year.

    Not budging from their positions, operators are now likely to go on strike for an indefinite period. Cable Operators Association chairman Khalid Arain, on 15 November, said that DTH launch was not justified since the cable operators invested billions in converting the analogue cable system into the digital one. Arain said they needed at least three years to create awareness among the people about cable digitalisation.

    Unlike the analogue connections, DTH service is a digital platform that transfers channels directly into homes from satellite through small dish antennas. The service is reliable and allows consumers to view high-definition video. The quality of channels at the end on the bandwidth does not diminish such as those on cable.

    Also read

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

     

  • Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    MUMBAI: Twelve companies have been shortlisted by PEMRA to bid for the award of three DTH licences on 23 November which is anticipated to fetch around US$400 million. Initially the authority will issue license for a period of 15 years, which will be extended as per agreement.

    No TV channel would be allowed to be a part of the licence directly. The base price for the bid offering was PKR 20 million.

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is expecting indirect and direct investment of PKR 4194 crore (INR 2720 crore) through bidding of Direct to Home licenses during the next three years. PEMRA officials said the body will open the bidding process at the PEMRA headquarters to give away three licenses, for which 12 companies including Chinese, Russian and UAE firms out of 16 had been selected, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    The short-listed companies are:

    Mag Entertainment Lah­ore

    Orient Electronics Lah­ore

    Skyflix Islamabad

    Startimes Communi­ca­tions Isla­m­abad

    Smart Sky Islam­abad

    Sardar Builders Islamabad

    Parus Media and Broadcast Islamabad

    Naya Tel Islamabad

    Sha­h­zad Sky Islamabad

    Maestro Med­ia Distribution Islamabad

    HB DTH Islamabad

    IQ Com­munications Karachi

    PEMRA had fixed the price of DTH service box PKR 2,500 to PKR 3,000 and its subscription fee will be only PKR 550 a month.

    Countrywide, this decision is forecast to create 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirect employment opportunities. PEMRA officials said DTH had captured maximum 25 per cent market while the rest was being served by digital cable suppliers.

    There are around three million consumers, using Indian DTH, and the government aims to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India.

    A PEMRA official said that a Chinese firm was keen to establish a company in Pakistan to manufacture set-top box for DTH and digital cable TV. The Pakistani cable market is primarily analogue, and the most of the operators have not adequately invested in upgrading their networks.

    Cable operators in Pakistan had launched an anti-DTH campaign. The Cable Operators Association had staged a protest last week against the DTH bidding. Association chairman Khalid Arain said that the PEMRA chairman had assured the association that PEMRA would not launch DTH in the next two years, warning it to stop the bidding or face the consequences.

    Meanwhile, Christian Post reported that PEMRA had banned all 11 Christian TV channels airing in the country and arrested at least six cable operators for defying the order.

    PEMRA does not grant landing rights for religious content, allowing the airing of Christian messages only for Christmas and Easter.

    However, the Christian channels had been operating for over 25 years. PEMRA has now formally labelled the Christian channels as illegal, the Post reported quoting UCAnews.

  • Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    MUMBAI: Twelve companies have been shortlisted by PEMRA to bid for the award of three DTH licences on 23 November which is anticipated to fetch around US$400 million. Initially the authority will issue license for a period of 15 years, which will be extended as per agreement.

    No TV channel would be allowed to be a part of the licence directly. The base price for the bid offering was PKR 20 million.

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is expecting indirect and direct investment of PKR 4194 crore (INR 2720 crore) through bidding of Direct to Home licenses during the next three years. PEMRA officials said the body will open the bidding process at the PEMRA headquarters to give away three licenses, for which 12 companies including Chinese, Russian and UAE firms out of 16 had been selected, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    The short-listed companies are:

    Mag Entertainment Lah­ore

    Orient Electronics Lah­ore

    Skyflix Islamabad

    Startimes Communi­ca­tions Isla­m­abad

    Smart Sky Islam­abad

    Sardar Builders Islamabad

    Parus Media and Broadcast Islamabad

    Naya Tel Islamabad

    Sha­h­zad Sky Islamabad

    Maestro Med­ia Distribution Islamabad

    HB DTH Islamabad

    IQ Com­munications Karachi

    PEMRA had fixed the price of DTH service box PKR 2,500 to PKR 3,000 and its subscription fee will be only PKR 550 a month.

    Countrywide, this decision is forecast to create 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirect employment opportunities. PEMRA officials said DTH had captured maximum 25 per cent market while the rest was being served by digital cable suppliers.

    There are around three million consumers, using Indian DTH, and the government aims to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India.

    A PEMRA official said that a Chinese firm was keen to establish a company in Pakistan to manufacture set-top box for DTH and digital cable TV. The Pakistani cable market is primarily analogue, and the most of the operators have not adequately invested in upgrading their networks.

    Cable operators in Pakistan had launched an anti-DTH campaign. The Cable Operators Association had staged a protest last week against the DTH bidding. Association chairman Khalid Arain said that the PEMRA chairman had assured the association that PEMRA would not launch DTH in the next two years, warning it to stop the bidding or face the consequences.

    Meanwhile, Christian Post reported that PEMRA had banned all 11 Christian TV channels airing in the country and arrested at least six cable operators for defying the order.

    PEMRA does not grant landing rights for religious content, allowing the airing of Christian messages only for Christmas and Easter.

    However, the Christian channels had been operating for over 25 years. PEMRA has now formally labelled the Christian channels as illegal, the Post reported quoting UCAnews.

  • Cable TV distribution to get fillip from demonetisation

    Cable TV distribution to get fillip from demonetisation

    MUMBAI: The cable television distribution business, a section of which has been infamous for dealings in unaccounted money, will have to upgrade addressability in the backdrop of the decision to demonetise higher value currency. It is estimated that the analog subscriber base will come down by 37% this year as they switch over to digital cable under DAS III and IV, according to sector estimates.

    According to a FICCI-KPMG report, there are approximately 65 million analog cable television subscribers in India, around 37 million digital cable television subscribers, 44 million pay DTH (direct-to-home) subscribers and some 15 million free DTH (FTA) subscribers. The benefit of dealing in cash prompts most operators to under-report subscriber numbers and eventually revenue. However, this may substantially reduce with the new government move, experts said.

    KPMG partner – media & entertainment Jehil Thakkar said that, with digitisation (under DAS III and IV), TRAI has proposed new pricing for TV channels. The purpose was to make it affordable. With demonetisation, the cable operators may have to clean up their operations so that there was transparency in dealings with broadcasters.

    DAS could act as a catalyst for cable operators to reduce under-reporting. Demonetisation, experts said, could become a trigger for the switchover. Under-reporting of subscription revenue by the cable operator per individual or household had been estimated to be 15-20%. DTH, however, has overcome this issue by using a pricing strategy based on the number of channels seen by a consumer.

    Meanwhile, the release of a number of Telugu films including Intlo Deyyam – Nakem Bhayam and Ram Charan Teja’s Dhruva have been postponed. Box office earnings have gone substantially down for Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films owing to demonetisation. Producers are being forced to defer releases due to low turnouts.

    Several film shoots have been suspended, and many theatres in Kerala are planning to shut shop owing to non-availability of low denomination notes. Work on national award-winning director Sidharth Siva’s new movie Sakavu too has been deferred.

    Income Tax officials meanwhile raided the house of the campaign manager of Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy and ex-MLA A John Kumar, seizing Rs. 14 lakh in cash. The ex-MLA of Nellithope, whose business is cable TV distribution, real estate etc, is also the manager of Narayanasamy’s campaign.

  • Cable TV distribution to get fillip from demonetisation

    Cable TV distribution to get fillip from demonetisation

    MUMBAI: The cable television distribution business, a section of which has been infamous for dealings in unaccounted money, will have to upgrade addressability in the backdrop of the decision to demonetise higher value currency. It is estimated that the analog subscriber base will come down by 37% this year as they switch over to digital cable under DAS III and IV, according to sector estimates.

    According to a FICCI-KPMG report, there are approximately 65 million analog cable television subscribers in India, around 37 million digital cable television subscribers, 44 million pay DTH (direct-to-home) subscribers and some 15 million free DTH (FTA) subscribers. The benefit of dealing in cash prompts most operators to under-report subscriber numbers and eventually revenue. However, this may substantially reduce with the new government move, experts said.

    KPMG partner – media & entertainment Jehil Thakkar said that, with digitisation (under DAS III and IV), TRAI has proposed new pricing for TV channels. The purpose was to make it affordable. With demonetisation, the cable operators may have to clean up their operations so that there was transparency in dealings with broadcasters.

    DAS could act as a catalyst for cable operators to reduce under-reporting. Demonetisation, experts said, could become a trigger for the switchover. Under-reporting of subscription revenue by the cable operator per individual or household had been estimated to be 15-20%. DTH, however, has overcome this issue by using a pricing strategy based on the number of channels seen by a consumer.

    Meanwhile, the release of a number of Telugu films including Intlo Deyyam – Nakem Bhayam and Ram Charan Teja’s Dhruva have been postponed. Box office earnings have gone substantially down for Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films owing to demonetisation. Producers are being forced to defer releases due to low turnouts.

    Several film shoots have been suspended, and many theatres in Kerala are planning to shut shop owing to non-availability of low denomination notes. Work on national award-winning director Sidharth Siva’s new movie Sakavu too has been deferred.

    Income Tax officials meanwhile raided the house of the campaign manager of Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy and ex-MLA A John Kumar, seizing Rs. 14 lakh in cash. The ex-MLA of Nellithope, whose business is cable TV distribution, real estate etc, is also the manager of Narayanasamy’s campaign.

  • Cancel DTH licence auction, cable operators urge PEMRA

    Cancel DTH licence auction, cable operators urge PEMRA

    MUMBAI: Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) has been urged to cancel the auction of Direct-to-Home (DTH) licence and postpone launch of the services for three years. PEMRA was scheduled to auction DTH license on 23 November, adding that this decision would affect several thousand cable operators across Pakistan.

    Peshawar chapter cable operators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan have urged Pemra to cancel the auction and postpone the launch.

    The Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP) Peshawar chapter also sought take strict action against those providing non-permitted services of operating Indian TV and C-Line across Peshawar. They also sought removal of Indian television channels from all broadcast sources.

    Around 14,000 operators having legal cable license were operating cable system across the country, of which 200 had been operating in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In Peshawar alone, around 45 operators are delivering cable services.

    Cable Operators Federation of Pakistan coordinator Ali Raza Khan said that they would raise their voice at every forum and would stage protests. Khan said that PEMRA was soon scheduled to auction DTH license.

    Khan told journalists at a conference that the cable operators had put in billions in the digital system on the orders of PEMRA but neither the DTH nor the digital policy was clear to the operators since 2000.

    Cable TV in Pakistan was earlier operated on the analogue system but later switched to digital cable system for which operators invested huge sums. Khan complained against authorities who were planning to launch DTH system.

    PEMRA, Khan said, had received billions as taxes from the operators,. COAP expected that the authorities, instead of adopting dual policy, formulate separate policies for DTH and the digital system. The coordinator added that the sale of C-Line and Dish TV had already multiplied in Pakistan.

    Khan urged the Chief of Army Staff to launch an operation against the illicit sale of C-line and Dish TV, bemoaning that they had met Pemra authorities to seek a solution to the issue, but it did not yield results.