Challenges and opportunities in Digital Ecosystem

IREVO founder  Dhimant expresses his views on the new Digital ecosystem developing  for content delivery

Technology Sourcing & Market Reach is a Bottleneck

Vineet Wadhwa, CEO Logic Eastern tells Cable Quest about the state of Indigenous Manufacturing of Digital STBs and answers other questions on CAS, SMS & Billing Middleware.

ALCOA approach TRAI and Delhi Government with their Grievances.

All Local Cable Operators Association (ALCOA), a Delhi based LCO association, headed by its Chairman Vijay Pal Singh and President Ram Kishan Tomar is actively pursuing the cause of the LCOs these days, submitting memorandums to the TRAI, I&B Ministry as well as Delhi Government to apprise the authorities about the anomalies in implementation of Digital Addressable System in the Capital. 

Cable Operators to make 'Digital India'

Dream project Digital India is an e-governing initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s to integrate government departments and people of India. It aims at providing government services to citizens of India electronically by reducing paperwork. Digital India has three core components which include the creation of Digital infrastructure, Delivering services digitally and Digital literacy. This project is an Umbrella Programme–covering many departments.

A Biased Media unfair to LCOs

It is shocking to see how biased and insensitive our television media can be. A suicide by a small cable operators has not even received a mention or discussed and debated by our over ambitious broadcasters who go out of the way to hype or downplay an event depending on what benefits they accrue from it. If it increases TRPs or they get good money for it, it is hyped to no extent meaninglessly, even if it is against the ethical norms. On the other hand, if it hurts their own business or harms the interest of the owners, it will just not be taken up. 

TRAI Economics go wrong TDSAT sets aside Tariff Hike of 27.5 %

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on 28 April, set aside the TRAI 27.5 per cent inflation-linked tariff hike for non-addressable systems and asked broadcasters to maintain a separate account for the additional subscription amount that they have collected from distribution platforms as a result of the tariff hike. 

02-05 June 2015 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Asia's pioneering ICT, broadcasting and digital multimedia industry event to feature new NXT Connected Lifestyle and TV Everywhere Zones.

Net Neutrality in India

On 27 March 2015, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a formal consultation paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services, seeking feedback from the public. By 14 April 2015, over 300,000 emails had been sent to TRAI demanding net neutrality.

Net neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. Internet service providers (ISPs) and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, and the Internet user should not be discriminated or charged differentially for using content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication. 

Impotent and Insensitive Media

On 22 April a farmer Gajender Singh committed suicide hanging himself from a tree when Aam Aadmi Party Rally against Land Bill was going on at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal was addressing the farmers. Gajender Singh died in the hospital the same day and all political parties created a hue and cry, blaming each other. The television media took it as an issue worth investigating, trying to find out if the whole incident was just a one act play organized by AAP that went wrong. No one bothered to report why, inspite of tall claims of governments in implementing schemes for the poor to uplift them economically; the poor of the country are forced to take such steps. 

Time for Cable MSOs to take a controlled Migration path to IP

Even as the digitization is happening gradually, India is witnessing the growth of several OTT platforms offering music, movies, catch up TV and also Live TV. Simply put, emergence of Cable-like businesses on the “cloud”. Will this lead to cord-cutting? Seems no for now, as studies show that online content viewing is only an additive, rather than a substitute. However, it will be a lost opportunity if Cable MSOs cannot take a share of this, despite being in the best of positions in terms of having subscribers, in-house content and broadcaster relationships as opposed to new OTT service startups. For these reasons, a multi-screen approach is almost a must-have and the best part is it can be a phased approach.

Linear Broadcast will lose to Personalised TV Services

This year our focus in the Supplement on Digitisation has been ‘Using Cable TV for Broadband Services’. Government is preparing to end the Phase III by this year end and within the next two years, the whole country will become digital. This is another issue that the I&B Ministry is more concerned to promote the ‘Pay’ Broadcasters without giving any consideration to the last mile infrastructure  that carries this content. 

Broadband and other VAS on CATV Networks in Das Environment

DAS Implementation Scenario 2015

Cable TV Networks Regulation Act 1995 Amendment 2011 and its Rules 2012 implied, in letter and spirit, the following :-