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With the March 31, 2013 deadline for Phase II of DAS just 54 days away, hectic preparations are on in the 38 cities across 15 states covered in this phase. However, the race for digitization seems to have hit a speed bump in Maharashtra, which has nine cities covered under Phase II – Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Thane, Solapur, Navi-Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Nashik, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Unlike in the case of other states such as Uttar Pradesh, where the awareness about Phase II is low, in Maharashtra the awareness is high yet the installation of set top boxes (STBs) has been advancing at a sluggish pace. This has been attributed to the people’s unwillingness to buy the set top boxes, which is troubling the Local Cable Operators (LCOs) and Multi System Operators (MSOs). As per industry reports, so far, approximately 30-40 per cent of the STB installation has been done in these nine cities.
Cable operators in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad are confident about meeting the deadline, given the various awareness campaigns that have been running for the last one month, which have generated considerable awareness amongst consumers about the significance of going digital. Anand Runwal, General Manager - Marketing, Siti Cable is also confident about meeting the Phase II deadline as, according to him, the installation of set top boxes in Thane and Navi Mumbai is progressing smoothly.
However, cable operators are concerned about people not coming out to buy the STBs in expected numbers despite the campaigns. As shared by Gopi Raut of Manoj Cable Network, which supplies DEN Networks in Pune, “We are moving at a slow pace as customers are not getting the set top boxes installed. Though we are prepared to meet the deadline, customers’ refusal has led to fears of the deadline getting postponed.”
Read More: Customer unwillingness hampers STB seeding in Maharashtra
Unlike in the case of other states such as Uttar Pradesh, where the awareness about Phase II is low, in Maharashtra the awareness is high yet the installation of set top boxes (STBs) has been advancing at a sluggish pace. This has been attributed to the people’s unwillingness to buy the set top boxes, which is troubling the Local Cable Operators (LCOs) and Multi System Operators (MSOs). As per industry reports, so far, approximately 30-40 per cent of the STB installation has been done in these nine cities.
Cable operators in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad are confident about meeting the deadline, given the various awareness campaigns that have been running for the last one month, which have generated considerable awareness amongst consumers about the significance of going digital. Anand Runwal, General Manager - Marketing, Siti Cable is also confident about meeting the Phase II deadline as, according to him, the installation of set top boxes in Thane and Navi Mumbai is progressing smoothly.
However, cable operators are concerned about people not coming out to buy the STBs in expected numbers despite the campaigns. As shared by Gopi Raut of Manoj Cable Network, which supplies DEN Networks in Pune, “We are moving at a slow pace as customers are not getting the set top boxes installed. Though we are prepared to meet the deadline, customers’ refusal has led to fears of the deadline getting postponed.”
Read More: Customer unwillingness hampers STB seeding in Maharashtra
