Two foreign companies, which showcased their wares for the first time in India at the recently concluded ScaT India 2001, are trying to make inroads into the rapidly burgeoning cable & satellite television (CATV) market.

Canadian company Lindsay Electronics, makers of RF distribution products for the CATV and wired communication industries, is seeking Indian representatives and distributors. Among its CATV distribution products are figure hardline passives, subscriber and apartment amplifiers, power passing multitaps and other last mile gizmos, all operating in the 1 GHz range.

"The entire world is rapidly going digital and channels are all going pay. The Indian market is poised to grow tremendously and in 2003, India will be the place to be," says an optimistic Lindsay Worldwide marketing director D.T. (Dave) Atman. "We expect increasingly bigger business and revenues in India; we will offer improved latest technology solutions for high-speed data and Internet services too."

Atman is not disturbed by the popularity of low-cost Chinese CATV products, which have flooded the Indian market. Says he: "We are not perturbed by the Chinese. They offer equipment for the lower end. We offer quality equipment, which is costlier but true value for money. We are very focused; our main interest is in a niche market."

Another company, which wants to forge Indian partnerships, is the China-based Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronic Technology. It churns out a range of digital satellite receivers, modulators, trunk and line amplifiers, taps and splitters, C/Ku Band satellite receiving LNBs and antenna, hand-held level meters, optical transmitters, reverse receivers and auto restoring workstations nodes. The products operate in a 550 MHz to 850 MHz range

The Zee Network is apparently in a hurry to strike a deal. The reason: its agreements for telecast rights for a large chunk of its movie library are reportedly expiring this year. (In 1994, the company had acquired several movies from various producers with licences ranging from five to seven years.) The channel needs to bolster its stock of films for the days ahead.

Sichuan Jiuzhou international department project manager Alex Deng says his company is seeking to appoint representatives and dealers to vend its products to the large cable TV operator population in India.