Set Top Box Portability By 2019: TRAI

New Delhi: How about switching over from one cable or DTH service provider to the other and in a fashion similar to changing telecom service provider under the portability regime.

If the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has its way, portability of set-top boxes could become a reality by end of 2019. The move is expected to give freedom to millions of customers to change their operators at no cost in case of deficient services.

“I am working on this. It will happen. Rest assured, we will make inter-operable STBs happen,” TRAI chairman R S Sharma told the Times of India. The paper said the proposal could be implemented by this year end.

Once this proposal is put in place, consumers can change the cable operator or the DTH company at will depending on the service they provide.

So how can interoperability in the broadcasting sphere happen as every STB is encrypted, having different software and configuration.

Sharma said the solution lies in neutral STBs which can be brought from the market while the instrument remains independent.

“We are trying our level best to do it. Its a technical problem and, therefore, we have involved government entity such as Centre for Development of Telematics and other players into this exercise,” the TRAI chairman told TOI newspaper.

At present, there are over 16 crore pay-TV subscribers in the country, who have no freedom to switch over to another service provider once they have enlisted with a particular operator.

While the TRAI’s move will come as a big boon for the consumers as far as getting quality service is concerned, it will come as a double whammy for cable and DTH operators.

TRAI’s new tariff regime, which comes into force from February 1 has upset the operators. The proposed interoperable-STBs could push them into further problem.

Voice of dissent is already getting shriller. “What will happen to the existing STBs for which both the consumers and operators had to invest to migrate into the digital sphere,” said an industry player.

Talking to PTI about the February 1 deadline, Sharma remained hopeful that 90 per cent TV viewers will come onbaord before the deadline.

The trend recorded in the past few days – a sudden surge in recording of customer preferences by service providers – indicated that the desired figure of 100 percent onboarding will be reached soon, he said.

Close to 40 percent of the consumers have already exercised their options, he added.

Monthly bills of those customers who select the channels they watch will “certainly go down”, Sharma said adding that viewers should not unnecessarily hoard channels, as they will always have the option of adding it to their cart as and when they wish to watch it.