: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has extended the deadline for cable television to move to a digital addressable system (DAS) to March 31, 2017 from December 31, 2016 for Phase-IV areas.
A slew of cases filed against the Ministry and the lack of progress in installing set-top boxes (STBs) in Phase IV areas (predominantly rural areas) have led the Ministry to extend the deadline.
In Phase-I and Phase-II areas — cities and places with more than 10 lakh population — the digital switchover has already been completed.
“The Ministry is extending the cut-off date for Phase IV of cable TV digitisation to March 31, 2017, in lieu of uncertainty in the market due to pending court cases and unsatisfactory progress of STBs in Phase IV areas,” the Ministry said. Phase III areas are expected to be digitised by January 31, 2017.
A cable TV corporation official told The Hindu that a minimum of 20 crore set-top boxes were required in the country. “It will take a longer time than March 31 to get everyone on digital mode, especially in rural areas, where access is limited,” the official said.
