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KOLKATA, AUG 21:
West Bengal has requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to extend the deadline for submitting cable TV subscribers’ database in Kolkata.
Despite a TRAI deadline to implement subscriber management system across 28 lakh cable TV households in the city by August 23, cable operators in the city are saying it is almost “impossible” to meet this target.
“The State Urban Development Department has approached TRAI, seeking extension of deadline from TRAI,” a source privy to the development told Business Line. He, however, could not confirm how many more days the State Government has sought.
According to Swapan Chowdhury, General Secretary, Cable and Broadband Operators Welfare Association, of the five major multi-service operators in Kolkata, hardly 12 lakh to 14 lakh households can be brought under the subscriber management system, thereby updating their channel choices and personal data with TRAI by Friday.”
Cable operators cannot ensure 100 per cent digitisation as per TRAI deadline. There are delays due more than one reason,” Chowdhury said. In Kolkata, he added, installation of set-top boxes was completed almost three to four months behind the schedule set by TRAI and the same phenomenon may be repeated in this case.
N. Parameswaran, principal Advisor to TRAI, was not available for a comment.
A local cable operator from South Kolkata said there is an information gap between the operators and the MSOs in the entire process. According to him, if TRAI forces MSOs to disconnect signals from August 23 midnight it may lead to law and order problems as more than 50 per cent consumer will not be covered under the system by Friday.
Market sources also confirmed that only one or two MSOs have complied with the norms since the beginning.
Bengal seeks more time to submit cable TV subscriber database | Business Line
..
West Bengal has requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to extend the deadline for submitting cable TV subscribers’ database in Kolkata.
Despite a TRAI deadline to implement subscriber management system across 28 lakh cable TV households in the city by August 23, cable operators in the city are saying it is almost “impossible” to meet this target.
“The State Urban Development Department has approached TRAI, seeking extension of deadline from TRAI,” a source privy to the development told Business Line. He, however, could not confirm how many more days the State Government has sought.
According to Swapan Chowdhury, General Secretary, Cable and Broadband Operators Welfare Association, of the five major multi-service operators in Kolkata, hardly 12 lakh to 14 lakh households can be brought under the subscriber management system, thereby updating their channel choices and personal data with TRAI by Friday.”
Cable operators cannot ensure 100 per cent digitisation as per TRAI deadline. There are delays due more than one reason,” Chowdhury said. In Kolkata, he added, installation of set-top boxes was completed almost three to four months behind the schedule set by TRAI and the same phenomenon may be repeated in this case.
N. Parameswaran, principal Advisor to TRAI, was not available for a comment.
A local cable operator from South Kolkata said there is an information gap between the operators and the MSOs in the entire process. According to him, if TRAI forces MSOs to disconnect signals from August 23 midnight it may lead to law and order problems as more than 50 per cent consumer will not be covered under the system by Friday.
Market sources also confirmed that only one or two MSOs have complied with the norms since the beginning.
Bengal seeks more time to submit cable TV subscriber database | Business Line
..
