Trai issues final cable TV guidelines

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Friday issued the final guidelines for restructuring the cable TV industry. Recently, the regulator had issued draft recommendations on the same, and had sought industry inputs.

Trai has recommended to the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry that the registration for cable TV operators must be replaced by a comprehensive licensing framework.

Also, the regulator favours greater emphasis on network digitisation and increased addressability.

Trai chairman Nripendra Misra, in a letter to I&B secretary Sushma Singh, has said that cable TV operators are facing stiff competition from telecom operators who employ advanced distribution technologies .”

To meet the challenges ahead, the existing cable TVindustry needs new investments in the sector and requires supporting regulatory environment,” Misra has said.