LCOs in Kolkata to submit interconnection agreement to MSOs soon

KOLKATA: Local cable operators (LCOs), operating in the Kolkata Municipal Area with more than 33 lakh cable television homes, plan to submit a draft of the interconnection agreement to the multi system operators (MSOs) without any further delay. The agreement has been drafted after extensive discussion between both the MSO and the LCO.

Sources said that MSOs like Siticable and Manthan among others have executed the interconnection agreement with their affiliated LCOs, while there are a few who have yet not worked out the details of the agreement.

“The LCOs have decided to submit a draft interconnection agreement to their MSOs, since they do not want to be blamed for non-signing of the agreement by the MSOs,” said Sangram Committee secretary Apurba Bhattacharya.

In a meeting held recently, Sangram Committee addressed issues pertaining to the interconnection agreement; notice of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the amendment to be introduced shortly; the MIB notice to the MSOs and lastly the local issues of LCOs.

The move comes after TRAI had instructed the MSOs and LCOs to mutually draft an interconnection agreement for better operation. The Authority had also said that if the two parties failed to mutually draft the agreement, it would come up with one, which will then have to be signed by both.