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Rationalise excise duty, Vat on TV, STBs: Planning Commission

Published

19 years ago

February 26, 2007

NEW DELHI: Acknowledging that the major hurdle in digitization presently is the absence of digital receiver sets and the fact that about 45 per cent TV sets are Black and White, a sub-group of the Planning Commission has recommended rationalization of the total taxation level to 12 per cent.

The sub-group on ‘Going Digital‘ set up by the Planning Commission and headed by Rajeeva Ratna Shah, member secretary in the Planning Commission and a former CEO of Prasar Bharati, said this will mean the excise duty on digital TV set, set top boxes (STBs) and its inputs be rationalized to 8 per cent and there should be a state VAT of 4 per cent. This will give impetus to the indigenous STB industry, which would generate economic activity and employment in the country.

The sub-group noted that STBs and the digital Conditional Access System (Cas) act as a catalyst for implementation of digitization. The Consumer Electronics and TV Manufacturing Association (Cetma) has indicated that the cost increase in case of a TV set, capable of receiving digital terrestrial signal in addition to analogue signal would be about Rs 1000 from the existing prices. For the existing analogue TV sets, which are expected to be around 120 million by year 2010, the consumers would need to have Digital Terrestrial Transmission STB to receive the signals. The cost of STB is presently about Rs 2250 and is decreasing every year by 7 to 8 per cent.

The industry would require a lead time of six months to meet the demand for the digital TV sets and radio receivers. Similarly, the industry would be in a position to provide STBs in about 16 to 20 weeks from the time the government decides to change over to digital broadcasting.

“But for successful rollout, the government needs to firm up the transition path and announce timelines so that all the stake holders could put their acts together and make the transition as smooth and successful as possible. The success of DTT depends upon the availability of requisite consumer end equipment and introduction of STB coupled with Cas.”

The sub-group added that India was a price sensitive market and one solution or product fits all cases is not commensurate with consumer thinking. Hence there may be need to introduce various models of STBs (having digital to analogue converter with addressability of channels with Cas to high-end models) with increasing value added features to meet the requirements of the consumers. The requisite standards need to be put in place for this.

Out of 61 million households cable connections all over India , 35 per cent are in rural areas. This service is easily available and affordable in the rural areas. This industry is geared up to meet the challenge of digital broadcasting, the sub-group noted.

At present, the signals from uplink station to satellite and from satellite to cable TV head-end are already digital. The signal from cable TV head-end to subscriber is both in digital and analog format. Most of the multi-service operators (MSOs) in the metros and big cities have already gone digital. Thus, only 7000 head-ends required to go digital.
Furthermore, all franchisees are not affected by digitization as they only pass the signal (analog/digital) received from the head-end to the subscribers and do not process the signal. Digitization of subscribers end depends on introduction of digital TV in the market at affordable prices and immediate digitalization of cable TV head-end.

To further galvanize the rollout, all the content producers – Prasar Bharati as well as private operators – should provide agreed and identified channels in the digital/HDTV format to MSO/cable operators under the “Must Carry” clause.

Going digital encompasses digital broadcasting, telecom as well as other technologies for access and backbone networks which deploy digital systems. While some of the frequency bands used for broadcasting have exclusive allocations for ‘broadcasting‘, most of the bands are shared with other services.

For example, the 800/ 900 MHz bands used for cellular services – GSM & CDMA, etc. are available for broadcasting also. The satellite based TV broadcasting is mostly in the frequency bands, which are shared with microwave systems. Hence, while evolving/ modifying the NFAP (National Frequency Allocation Plan), the relative national priorities of various spectrum based services have to be taken into account.

Normally digital transmissions require larger bandwidth. However, with modern compression techniques, which are improving continuously, it is now possible to accommodate multiple channels in the RF bandwidth of a single existing (analogue) channel. Hence, on complete transition to digital systems in broadcasting, the spectrum requirements should reduce or alternatively, it would be possible to transmit larger number of channels in the bandwidth occupied by existing channels.

During the transition phase, existing analogue and new digital systems would need to be broadcast together, requiring larger spectrum bandwidth. The requirements can be assessed once the number of channels for simultaneous transmission is worked out. With digital broadcasting, it is possible to include data, Internet, etc. within the broadcasting channels.

During the migration from Analogue to Digital Radio, new frequency assignments have to be identified to facilitate smooth migration and for some time both the existing analogue transmissions as well as new digital transmissions would continue. Hence, there will be spectrum constraint during this transition phase. Also, the spectrum for digital migration may need to be identified for both Prasar Bharati as well as Private FM Broadcasters.

The sub-group, comprising 17 members, was set up by the Committee on Information, Communication and Entertainment (ICE) that has been examining the larger issue of convergence and advent of modern technology. Members include the secretaries in Information and Broadcasting and Department of Telecommunications, the Prasar Bharati CEO, the presidents of Cetma, Mait, Nasscom, and ISP Association of India, co-chairman of the Ficci entertainment committee Kunal Dasgupta, chairman of the CII entertainment committee, chairman of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India, president of the Cable TV Operators Association, Rajiv Mehrotra who is the managing trustee of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust, Virat Bhatia from AT&T Communications Services, Zee Telefilms President Abhijit Saxena, Sameer Rao who is vice-president in charge of strategy, planning & regulatory in Star India, and a representative of the Prime Minister‘s Office.

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

Published

4 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

4 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.