Changing your telecom operator is easy, right. All you need to do is, change the SIM card, and you have got a new telecom service provider on your phone.
Starting December, 2019, the same would be applicable for your DTH or Cable operator as well. All you need to do is, literally change one chip.
Welcome to the age of interoperability of DTH and Cable services!
TRAI: One Set Top Box For All DTH/Cable Operators
TRAI Chairman RS Sharma has informed that starting December 2019, interoperability of cable and DTH services would be implemented, pan-India.
Once this happens, users would be able to switch their cable and DTH operator without any hassles, and without having to buy a new set top box.
He said, “TRAI is scheduled to launch the process for subscribers to shift (or port) to new distribution platform operators (DPOs). We are likely to launch the new portability regime by December this year,”
Right now, changing a DTH or cable operator is a big hassle, as the subscriber needs to buy a new set top box provided the new company, and ditch the old one.
Very few times it happens that the old DTH or cable operator will buy back the old set top box, and often, it just converts into junk.
But not anymore.
How Will This Work?
As per reports, TRAI is working on creating a common infrastructure and platform for all set top boxes, which will make it universal. Currently, every cable and DTH company uses their own set top box, based on different technologies, which makes it tough for the subscriber to change it.
Under the new regime, the critical details about the subscriber, and the DTH/cable company will be saved in a chip or a smart card, just like a SIM in a mobile phone.
When the subscriber wants to change service, all they will be required to do is change that chip in the same set top box.
This way, one single set top box can be used to access any DTH or Cable service, without any problem.
DTH/Cable Portability Framework
In 2017, TRAI had issued a framework for DTH Portability, which was applicable for all DTH and Cable companies.
Titled “Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Seventh) (Direct to Home Services) Tariff Order, 2015 (2 of 2015)”, this framework mandated all cable and DTH firms to create the required technical platform to ensure that subscribers are able to switch their operators without any hassle.
But there were technical challenges, as more than 80 million DTH and Cable users are right now using unique set top boxes, meant only for a specific cable and DTH operator.
Besides, as part of the framework announced, every DTH and cable provider is now mandated to allow subscribers to choose their own set-top box, unlike the present scenario wherein the user is imposed with a set top box, without any choice
We will keep you updated, as more details come in,
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