The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued a Digital Addressable System (DAS) licence to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable Corporation Ltd, the first such instance where a licence has been given to a State-run multi-system operator.
The licence, though, is provisional and has been issued subject to the outcome of cases in courts and pending decision on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI, an official at Arasu Cable told The Hindu.
The TRAI had recommended to the Centre that a government entity cannot enter the business of broadcasting or be engaged in distribution of TV channels.
The Centre’s final decision on this is awaited .
The decision to issue a licence allows the cable corporation to provide digital signals to cable TV subscribers . Currently, TACTV provides channels on analog signal mode. With this provisional licence, TACTV will provide signals to the cable operators from its five control rooms.
TACTC has begun laying the groundwork for the next step that would involve procurement of set top boxes and working out a pricing formula to ensure it can provide the maximum number of channels at an affordable cost.
Arasu Cable has 70.52 lakh subscribers across Tamil Nadu.
