(7 February 2011 9:55 pm)

NEW DELHI: Broadcasters and multi-system operators (MSOs) today met Telecom Regulatory and Authority of India (Trai) chairman JS Sarma and other senior officials to discuss issues relating to digitisation, addressability and interconnectivity.

Though the meet was described as a regular interaction, it assumes importance in the view of the recent government announcement relating to digitisation by March 2015 through the set-top box (STB).

The meet was attended by several members of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the MSO Alliance.

Trai had recently decided to extend the last date for receiving the views of stakeholders on its consultation paper relating to interconnection regulation in non-addressable cable TV, but had not announced the new date.

It is understood that today’s meeting related to the consultation paper as well as the financial implications of digitisation.

The government recently sent its revised time schedule for digitisation to Trai, which had earlier set a deadline of 31 December 2013 as a sunset date for analogue transmission. The government had asked Trai for its comments before putting it up to the Union Cabinet for approval.