Cable TV equipment market is set to grow by 20 per cent this year as more and more Indian homes plug in to satellite television. | |
| "We expect the market growth to be strong even though there is a lot of confusion about the future of the cable TV industry," Sanjay Mansukhani, secretary of Cable TV Equipment Traders and Manufacturers Association (CTMA), said. |
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| Given the unorganised nature of the cable TV industry, it was hard to put an exact figure on the volume. He said it could be in the region of Rs 5,000 crore a year. |
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| The industry is at the crossroads with number of new technologies about to come in. The opportunity could be harnessed if a strong regulatory framework was put in place. |
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| "Any number of established players like Tata, Reliance are bringing in options like MMDS (microwave multi-point distribution system), DTH (direct to home), IPTV (internet protocol television), HITS (Headed in the sky) and DTT (digital terrestrial transmission)," he noted. |
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| CTMA has demanded that government should make it mandatory for multinationals to set manufacturing base in India in order to set up an indigenous production base for hardware and software development and also transfer of technology. "Only those MNCs agreeable to technology transfer should be allowed to come in," he noted. |
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| CTMA also plans to ask the government to address the issue of 'interoperability' of set top boxes (STBs). |
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| Government should ensure that all the different technology options should be made available through a single common interface. The Association also demanded that a cable TV regulator should be put in place soon. |
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| Show next week |
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| CTMA will hold 'Cable TV Show 2004' from February 19 to 21 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. "We are expecting 10,000 cable operators, traders, manufacturers, channel partners, distributors, broadcasters and MSOs to attend the show," Pawan Jajodia, chairman of Exhibition Committee said. |
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