Industry & Economy
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Radio/TV
TRAI ready with consultation paper for cable TV pricing
Our Bureau
Mr Pradip Baijal
Mumbai
,
March 16
THE Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is ready with the consultation paper on pricing for the cable television industry.
"We have finalised the consultation paper on cable television pricing and should be presenting it to government shortly," Mr Pradip Baijal, Chairman, TRAI, told delegates to FICCI-Frames 2004. The existing cable prices would continue unchanged for the next three months, he said.
In a candid admission, he said, it was difficult writing this paper as TRAI was not familiar yet with the broadcast industry. But, several telecom regulators worldwide oversee broadcasting and in the era of convergence, a regulator's equitable encouragement for various delivery systems is the ideal avenue for the best surviving through market economics.
Thus, there is a collective opportunity for competition from the 4.5 crore fixed line phone connections and 5 crore cable homes around, each being technically capable of delivering similar content. In fact, despite questions from the audience, Mr Baijal stayed off highlighting any particular technology as main player for the future.
According to him, the regulator cannot have any control on the pricing of content. He was clear that choice is the driving factor to boost growth in any sector, mobile telephony being a good example.
"It is important to develop broadband," he said. But it will take time for all the proposed broadband and DTH projects to really kick in.
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