Indian TV Viewers Could Soon Switch Service Provider With Ease

NEW DELHI: Soon, Indian TV viewers would have the advantage of mobile portability where the consumer is free to choose the provider and switch to another one.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the ministry is working towards bringing in "interoperability" to the Set Top Boxes whereby customers would be able to change their service providers by just putting in a new card instead of having to buy a new Set Top Box every time.

Chairing the first meeting of the Task Force for Cable Digitization for phases three and four at Vigyan Bhavan, the minister stressed that the customer should get full benefit of digitization with high quality picture and good service and all at affordable prices.

Javadekar said that Phase III would be over by end 2015 and Phase IV by 2016 end.

The two phases would see the cable TV digitization process spreading towards villages.

He said the Task Force would meet regularly with representatives of all stakeholders, including the service providers and consumers, and also monitor the progress of the digitisation.

He said the process of cable TV digitization is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of a Digital India and "we will go ahead full speed".

"Like the portability of the mobile phone, the viewers should also have similar options with the Set Top Boxes. They should be able to put in any card of choice (of service provider) on the Set Top Box," he said.

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