I&B Ministry extends deadline for the fourth phase of cable digitisation

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Friday said that it has decided to extend the deadline for Phase IV of Cable TV Digitization to March 31, 2017.

In an official statement it said this was being done ,"in lieu of uncertainty in the market due to pending court cases and unsatisfactory progress of installation of Set Top Boxes (STBs) in Phase IV areas."

The fourth phase digitization covers rural areas and the government was earlier targeting to complete it by this month end.

At the same time, the Ministry has decided to give additional time to the remaining subscribers in urban areas that come under Phase III . These subscribers will now need to switch to digital mode by January 31. This has also been done due to the ongoing court proceedings, it said in a statement.

While most of these cases have been disposed off by the Delhi High Court, the government expects the remaining cases are also likely to be disposed off soon.