According to Jeevan Khanna, Founder, Lucknow9, this initiative is good for cable TV service providers such as MSOs, independent MSOs, DTH players, Cable TV operators etc.
Sharing his thought exclusively with IndianMediaBook, Khanna said, “This is good for us, as after this, no subsidy will be given to end users. But from end users point of view, it will become a costly affair”.
At the moment, subscription and installation charges for a new connection are high, because the cost of STB is involved every time anyone changes its operator, as new STB will be installed depending on the connection taken by the customer.
The idea behind this initiative of TRAI is to set up standards so that the STBs are not tied to a particular service provider. It should be the same philosophy as it exists in the telecom sector.
According to Ravi Gupta, Director, DDC, it will connect those subscribers who are willing to switch from a major MSO to independent MSO.
“It will be difficult in those areas, where cable operators are associated to only one MSO. In that case, even someone wants to switch, he won’t be able to do that. However, it will be very beneficial to those, who are relocating themselves,” commented Gupta.
TRAI will consult with the stakeholders and will set up standards so that the STBs are not tied to a particular service provider. It should be the same philosophy as it exists in the telecom sector.
Keywords: TRAI, Ravi Gupta, DDC, Jeevan Khana, Lucknow9, Inter-operable Set-Top Boxes
