The Hindu Business Line : Telecom cos share views with TRAI on HITS

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has received 18 comments for its consultation papers on the satellite based cable system, Headend-In-the-Sky (HITS).

Bharti Telemedia has suggested that the HITS operations be allowed in both C-Band and Ku Band, depending on the discretion of the operator. The company also believes that the HITS operator should only be allowed to serve the cable operator and not the end user, maintaining the distinction between the DTH operator and HITS operator. “DTH service by definition is “Direct-to-Home” and there is no logic in allowing an intermediary between the DTH operators and subscribers. In fact, such a move will conflict with the very objective and rationale for conceiving this platform,” says Bharti.

Complete Freedom

Essel Group’s Dish TV, the only company to already have a licence for HITS, believes that the technology is most suitable for further Conditional Access System (CAS) roll out. HITS offers unique advantages over the conventional cable, such as low cost implementation at the Multi System Operator or Cable Operator level. Single CAS will offer complete freedom to the consumer who can take his set top box across the country without having to buy a new one when he shifts from his local service provider, according to Dish TV.

Reliance Blumagic, Bharat Jyoti CAG, cable MSOs Hathway Cable and Datacom, IndusInd Media, Ortel Communications, broadcasters such as STAR India Pvt and Zee and DTH operator Tata Sky are amongst the others who have submitted their suggestions.

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