Digital task force holds first meet

[Bapun]

NEW DELHI: The first meeting of the 18-member Task Force constituted to oversee and facilitate the implementation of digital addressable cable TV systems in the country was informed that the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd. (BECIL) had entered into an agreement with Society for Broadband Professionals (SCTE) of London to receive training in digitisation. BECIL will then impart the training to Indian personnel involved in the digitisation process. With the roadmap for digitisation now clear, the Task Force headed by Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s Additional Secretary Rajiv Takru took preliminary steps to work out the modalities of the implementation of the various phases of digitisaion. The first meet was held more than two months after the Task Force was set up. The Task Force was set up in early May to act as a nodal body as well as an interface between the Government and the industry in all matters related to the implementation of digital addressable system in cable sector and oversee and supervise the implementation of digitalisation. Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that the nodal officers of the states in which the first phase of digitisation would take place were asked to hold meetings at the local level. A need was stressed for imparting more publicity and information about the advantages of digitisation so that people can adapt to the newer technologies. Some stakeholders complained about tariff issues relating to interconnectivity and quality of service regulations set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The Task Force was set up to study the roadblocks that exist in the way to digitalisation and suggest suitable measures to address those in an efficient manner so as to enable the various stakeholders to carry forward the process of digitalisation, and analyse the experience of digitalisation process elsewhere in the world; they were to develop a blue print for smooth transition from analogue to digital addressable system in India. The Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) in the Ministry is the member-Convener of the Task Force. The Force also has the Principal Adviser (Broadcasting and Cable Services) in Trai, representatives of the Departments of Telecom, Information Technology, Prasar Bharati, an expert from the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants (India) Ltd., and four representatives of Consumer Groups/ Organizations, according to the digitisation implementation schedule. In addition, there is representation from the Cable Operators Federation of India, Multi System Operator (MSO) Alliance, the Direct-to-Home Association, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Assocham, Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association.


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