20 lakh households face threat of TV blackout

Operators hopeful that deadline of switching over to DAS could still be extended

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The television sets of more than 20 lakh households in the Chennai Metropolitan Area faces the threat of being blacked out after Madras High Court on Thursday orally refused to extend the deadline for installation of set top boxes (STBs) in Chennai City.

Tamil Nadu Cable TV Owners Association (TANCUS) state president Kayal R S Elavarasu told Express that 20 lakh households face the threat of television blackout but expressed hope that all is not lost.

“The court has not yet passed any order except stating that orally its has refused to extend the deadline. It has also adjourned the matter for four weeks. We still have four weeks time and we will put forth our case,” he said.

However, he feels that installation of more than 20 lakh set top boxes would be a Herculean task. “The city has an approximate number of 2,000 cable operators and on any given day they could install only 10 set top boxes as such to install the set top boxes itself will take nearly 100 days,” said Elavarasu.

Interestingly, the bigger issue is the non-availability of set top boxes. “They have to import it from China. But now the country would be celebrating its new year as such for a month it is impossible to get STBs from that country,” said a spokesperson of Chennai Metro Cable Operators Association (CMCOA).

Elavarasu says that to install the 20 lakh set top boxes it would take upto August 31, 2013. He said the biggest challenge is to force the consumers to switch over to digital addressable system. “Not all are coming forward. We are just a service provider. It would be easier if we charge them extra of Rs 100 every month so that by the given period set top boxes could be installed in their homes,” reasoned Elavarasu.

The spokesperson of CMCOA states that the last mile operators also face challenges in zeroing on a multi-service operator (MSO). With Centre delaying the licence to government-run multi-system operator Arasu Cable, last mile operators don’t know which private MSO to chose from as they feel they don’t have the adequate infrastructure to meet the deadline. But Elavarasu says there is still hope since the case in Madurai bench of High Court is coming up next month. Once the court gives clearance to government run MSO, then licence for Arasu won’t be a problem, he reasons.

Interestingly, the deadline issue is also piling up pressure on the last mile operators who are losing their subscribers. The spokesperson of CMCOA states that the cable operators have lost 15 per cent subscribers over the delay in witching over to DAS.