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COs fight hard at first interconnect stakeholder meet at Trai

Published

19 years ago

March 6, 2007

NEW DELHI: The first consultative meeting of stakeholders on the issue of sharing of revenue of the FTA package was held here today, with cable operators fighting hard to retain the present system of COs getting all of the Rs 77 charge levied.

The system should be there for at least one year to let things pan out properly, before making any changes, Roop Sharma of Cable Operators Federation of India held, stating that the arguments of MSOs in support of their demand of 40 per cent share of the FTA revenue were based on wrong facts.

Trai itself heard out the representations and no decision has been taken yet.

The MSOs and broadcasters had their own demands, with Star saying the arrangement should be worked out through commercial negotiations between MSOs and COs, though WWIL has suggested to Trai that the FTA be shared, with MSOs retaining 40 per cent.

Importantly, Set Discovery Pvt Ltd has demanded that the TRAI should leave price fixation, revenue sharing and related issues to market forces, more so now with effective competition through DTH and other technologies becoming a reality.

Arvind Mohan of WWIL said MSOs ought to get this 40 per cent of the FTA revenue arguing that “It would be appreciated compliance with the Quality of Service regulations not only requires the capital expenditure, but also recurring expenditure.

“The stipulated revenue share of 30% for MSOs out of pay channel revenue is totally inadequate and insufficient to meet the recurring and variable costs associated with the provisions of the services,” Mohan has argued.

While MSOs are getting carriage fee, Mohan has said in his submission, this is a temporary phenomenon which may not be there in CAS regime because of digital delivery. In any case since the carriage is not a part of any interconnection arrangement and mainly a contractual matter.

This consultative process started when earlier, Trai had issued a notification for the process asking all the stakeholders, “What should be the share of multi system operators (MSOs) and cable operators out of subscription charges for basic service tier, and the basis for arriving at the distribution proposed should also be given.”

The parties that attended the meeting were Wire & Wireless (India) Ltd. Indusind Media & Communications Ltd., Col.VC Khare (Retd.), a cable TV industry expert; STAR India Pvt. Ltd., Set Discovery Private Limited, and Cable Operators Federation of India.

IndusInd Media, represented by Ashok Mansukhani, has made the most detailed presentation, stating that they believe there are not three but four streams of revenue between Broadcaster, MSO and LCO in a total perspective.

These are subscription charges for Pay channels; subscription charges for basic tier in analogue; carriage placement charges and advertisement revenues of pay channels which are carried in MSOs and LCOs networks, by which they earn the revenue.

“Any legitimate sharing mechanism should take all the four factors, since IMCL consider that the business models of broadcasters are dependent on ad revenue generated and subscription revenue.

“MSO‘s business model is based on subscription amount of pay channels; delivery carrier charges of FTA (for basic tier); and placement carriage charges. In all the three cases the MSO should be able to get a share, which can at least, take care of the basic costs,” IMCL has argued

Mansukhai gave IMCL‘s own example on how it has spent large amounts over the last few years for setting up the large fibre network up to LCO points at the its own costs; established centralised and localised headends too, ensuring a continuous supply by keeping entire infrastructure, etc., and even subsidy on STBs

IMCL has supported WWIL, expectedly, in the demand of 40 per cent of basic tier for MSOs, arguing that the basis for arriving at such a ratio can be the actual
investment costs of and the similar costs of LCOs.

Col VC Khare, the independent cable operations network, however, has demanded a ratio of 70 to 30 in favour of COs, arguing that the major cost for operating the system at the ground level is bourn by the COs.

Interestingly, Khare is the only one who has struck a different note on the issue of the quantum fixed for FTAs. “Rupees 77 per month does not measure up to the requirements of QoS conformity to Indian Standards,” Khare has said.

Understandably, the COs and its representatives have the most to worry if the FTA revenue is shared and thus, the Federation has argued strenuously that this should not be done, as the MSO Alliance‘s claim to share revenue because they have spent a lot of money is not true.

Thus it is that Sharma has said that implementation of CAS has just commenced in the notified zones of the three metros catering to only about a million subscribers.

“This is only a trial phase and needs to be carefully handled for at least six months to one year. It is too premature to review the revenue share formula and interconnect agreement at this stage as all necessary parameters are not available to reach a viable solution,” she has argued.

She added, “TRAI should think of changing the terms of interconnect agreement only after the stabilisation of the system. Till then fresh working of costs to stakeholders should be done to arrive at realistic figures in the present scenario, so that reasonable revenue sharing formula may be made.”

“MSO Alliance‘s response to the interconnect agreement draft as attached with the consultation paper does not carry much weight at this stage because MSOs do not own the entire infrastructure, as given in their response. They own only the headend and the trunk infrastructure. Last mile infrastructure is entirely owned by the LCOs.

In fact, the COs‘ federation has asked why the MSOs are not talking of sharing of revenue from their local channels with the COs.

Sharma has argued that a month after the rollout of Cas, the MSOs‘ entire calculations have gone haywire, especially on the issue of ‘perceived under-declaration by COs.

“Perceived under declaration by the LCOs is again no reason as facts may be very different from what has been presented. As an example, within one month of implementation of CAS the STB penetration has already crossed 25 per cent, which is higher than the 20 per cent the MSOs had presumed would be the final figure.

“In reality, it is only about 20 per cent subscribers that may opt only for FTA channels. Their whole calculations will go haywire as they progress in implementation of CAS,” Sharma has stated.

The meeting also discussed interconnection regulation regarding the share of revenue of pay channel fees.

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Moltbook, the AI-only social network, sparks hype, doubt and fear

Published

3 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Moltbook, a Reddit-style social platform built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has emerged as the latest obsession in Silicon Valley, drawing intense attention for its explosive growth and surreal bot-driven interactions.

The platform hosts more than 100 communities where AI agents post, argue and joke about topics ranging from governance theory to esoteric “crayfish debugging” concepts. Within days of launch, Moltbook recorded tens of thousands of posts, nearly 200,000 comments and more than 1 million human visitors observing the activity.

Yet the numbers and the autonomy are under scrutiny, as per media reports. A security researcher has suggested as many as 500,000 accounts may trace back to a single address, raising doubts about Moltbook’s membership claims. Many posts could also be the result of humans instructing their AI tools to publish content, rather than bots acting independently.

The platform runs on agentic AI, powered by an open-source tool called OpenClaw, formerly known as Moltbot. Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, these agents are designed to perform tasks on users’ devices, from sending messages to managing calendars, with minimal human input. Once authorised, they can interact freely on Moltbook.

Some tech figures have hailed the platform as a glimpse of a post-human internet. Head of crypto custody firm BitGo Bill Lees, called it evidence that “we’re in the singularity”.

Academics are less convinced. Petar Radanliev, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Oxford, said the idea of agents acting independently was “misleading”, describing Moltbook instead as automated coordination within human-set constraints. Columbia Business School assistant professor David Holtz, dismissed the spectacle as “thousands of bots yelling into the void and repeating themselves”.

Beyond hype, security worries loom large. ESET global cybersecurity advisor Jake Moore, warned that granting AI agents access to emails, private messages and files risks prioritising efficiency over privacy. Andrew Rogoyski of the University of Surrey said high-level system access could lead to serious damage, from erased data to compromised company accounts.

Even OpenClaw’s founder Peter Steinberger, has felt the darker side of attention, with scammers hijacking his old social media handles after the platform’s rebrand.

For now, Moltbook remains a strange digital zoo: part experiment, part spectacle, where AI agents banter about philosophy, productivity and, occasionally, their fondness for their human operators.

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Apple appoints Avtar Ram Singh as head of international marketing

Published

3 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Apple has handed a bigger global brief to a long-time insider. Avtar Ram Singh has taken over as head of international marketing for the App Store, Apple Arcade and the Apple Games app, deepening his remit across one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as head of international marketing, App Store, Apple Arcade and Games App at Apple,” Singh said while announcing the move.

The promotion crowns nearly seven years at Apple, where Singh has led services marketing across Southeast Asia and India and previously served as head of marketing for Southeast Asia content and services, business lead for Apple Podcasts in the region and interim marketing lead for the App Store internationally.

His new portfolio spans three pillars of Apple’s services push. The App Store, which Apple positions as a safe and trusted discovery platform, now attracts more than 850 million average weekly users globally. Since 2008, developers have earned over $550 billion on the platform.

Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming subscription service, offers unlimited access to a catalogue ranging from brain teasers to big-name franchises. The recent addition of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition brings a AAA PC title to iPhone, iPad and Mac from 5 February.

Then there is the Apple Games app, unveiled at WWDC as a unified destination for games from the App Store and Arcade. It aggregates titles in one place, surfaces personalised recommendations, tracks events and achievements, and lets users compete with friends or connect controllers for a console-like experience.

Singh arrives with a hybrid background in strategy, data and creativity. His career spans digital and social media marketing, business intelligence, content, editorial and analytics across culturally diverse markets. He has worked on brands including P&G, Accor, Audi, UBS, Nikon, Samsung, Sony, Pizza Hut, HBO and Singapore Airlines-linked businesses such as Scoot.

Before Apple, Singh led strategy at Falcon Agency, focusing on performance marketing and ROI-driven digital frameworks. He earlier ran the social practice at Publicis Singapore, where he oversaw operations, business development and regional social strategy for multinational clients. His career also includes roles at Ogilvy-linked Circus Social, Rocket Internet ventures Lazada and Zalora, and research firm IDC in Bangkok, where he analysed technology markets and won early awards for collaboration and client retention.

At Apple, he has been close to several service launches and expansions, including Apple Fitness+ in Singapore, Apple Creator Studio, global podcast subscriptions and new App Store marketing tools.

The timing is notable. Apple’s services business has posted record years, and gaming is becoming a sharper battleground as platforms chase engagement and recurring revenue. Singh’s brief sits at the intersection of content, community and commerce.

In a market where attention is scarce and loyalty scarcer, Apple is betting that sharper storytelling and smarter marketing can keep users inside its ecosystem. Singh now holds the megaphone. The real test will be how loudly the world listens.

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Cloud nine in the capital Bharathcloud plugs Delhi into its AI plans

Published

4 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Bharathcloud is bringing its cloud closer to power. The Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider has opened its Delhi office, marking its formal entry into North India and setting the stage for its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as India’s digital transformation fuels rising demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure, driven by wider adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and data-heavy applications. With the new office, Bharathcloud plans to onboard more than 100 employees in 2026, strengthening its workforce to support customers across government, enterprises, MSMEs and social sectors.

The Delhi presence is expected to sharpen the company’s engagement with organisations seeking secure, scalable and cost-efficient cloud platforms that comply with India’s data sovereignty requirements. It also positions Bharathcloud closer to policy, public sector and enterprise decision-makers in the region.

Founded in Hyderabad, Bharathcloud offers AI-ready cloud infrastructure including Kubernetes-as-a-Service, zero-trust security architecture and multi-level data protection frameworks. Its platform supports AI and ML workloads, blockchain application migration from hyperscalers and distributed data management, with an emphasis on reliability, low latency and operational continuity.

“With the Delhi expansion, we are positioning Bharathcloud to engage more closely with AI-driven enterprises and technology hubs in North India,” said Bharathcloud co-founder Rahul Takallapally. He added that the move would help nurture local cloud and AI talent while accelerating the adoption of secure and resilient AI infrastructure across sectors.

The company currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, employing over 200 people and serving more than 1,500 clients across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, IT and media. Aligned with national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India, Bharathcloud continues to focus on building indigenous AI-cloud infrastructure to support data localisation and the country’s growing appetite for next-generation digital solutions.

With its Delhi office now live, the company is signalling a clear intent: to make sovereign, AI-ready cloud infrastructure not just an alternative, but a mainstream choice for India’s north as well as its tech capitals.